Two Girls
by 5thSundayCircuitRider
Summary: Following the destruction of Arcadia Bay, we find two girls beginning the new journey they have undertaken. For each other, for themselves, and for something more. Life is strange, but perhaps it can be good after all.
1. Darklands

**The sun began to set in the distance, through the overcast, painting blood red fire across the sky. The tall girl drove, roughly north. The other stared out the window of the rusting cab of the truck. Almost catatonic. Almost, but not granted that sweet mercy.**

"Where are we going?"

The taller girl was lost for words, this was the first time the younger girl had spoken in an hour, "...Portland. We're...going to Portland. Like...like...I promised."

"Mmm." She nodded her head against the window again. She knew there was blood cached under her nose. In her hair. On her shirt. She could smell it, somewhere, far off from wherever she was watching the world from behind her large blue eyes. _And so much more on your hands_ , her own voice echoed to her from somewhere deep inside.

They rode in silence. The only sound the patter of intermittent rain, every drop a sledgehammer inside the smaller girl's skull, and the rough sound of the tired pickup truck's motor.

"Why are we going to Portland?", Maxine Caulfield's second fully formed sentence since leaving what they left behind them.

A moment of clarity, perhaps? The older girl thought, and desperately pleaded with whatever power was up there that wasn't the case, though she was sure she had used every last favor god had to spare.

"We're...going to a rave man. We're going to shows. We're gonna do all the hella fun things we couldn't do back home", she hoped Max didn't hear the choke in her voice at that last word, home.

Chloe Price was not a stranger to white lies. Or any other kind of lie, for that matter. She promised herself she would never lie to the girl across the bench seat beside her, though. But then, she had promised a lot of things in the last five days. And things had been promised. Taken back. Broken. Fixed. Died. Reborn. A never-ending cycle. _Ororboros_ , she thought, diverting her attention from the road momentarily to look down at her ill, or perfectly, chosen shirt, _I think he choked on his tail though_.

"That sounds so nice", the brown haired girl mumbled from her resting position, somewhere between conscious and comatose.

"Yeah, Max. It does."

* * *

She had stopped at a shady looking gas station while Max was... _passed out?_ _Asleep?_ Somewhere else. As she had been consistently save a few sentences since they hit the road. There had been nobody there. Nobody at all. Chloe thought that the area surrounding the bay must have been evacuated somehow, but how, the storm came out of nowhere. A question for another time , she decided. Chloe, not a model citizen, simply hopped over the counter and took a carton of reds. She then took a bullshit souvenir backpack and stuffed it with as much preserved, junk and otherwise nonperishable food she could quickly, she refused to leave Max alone any longer than needed, even if she was dead to the world right now, grabbing a pack of bottled water on the way out. She simply filled the truck's fuel tank and replaced the pump handle, climbing back into the cab. _It's an emergency situation, desperate measures, any means...blah blah blah_ , she thought, _survivalist David would be prou_...- a tear rolled down her cheek. _No._ Not Yet. No she would. not. go. there. Not yet. Not until she knew Max was going to pull through this.

She looked over at the smaller girl, sleeping restlessly against the door, _my poor, poor Super Max._ She carefully took a packet of tissues from the glovebox, reaching around the blue Manic Panic, old condoms and traffic citations. She licked her finger and carefully began to dab away at the blood under Max's nose, not wanting to wake her. A million thoughts were going through Chloe's head as she looked at her sleeping friend. A thousand voices screaming at once. She knew it was worse for Max. She didn't know if letting her sleep was a mercy or damnation. She was lost, as she had been often in the past five years, but to a greater extent. An extent she didn't know possible.

She decided to stick to I-101, knowing from the state of this main interstate that an sideroads were going to be in horrible shape and just keep heading north. The lack of other cars on the road, the strewn debris, downed trees, lack of streetlamps, none of it was lost on her. Chloe played dumb a lot. It was usually safer. But she noticed everything. No matter how vibrant and careless she showed the world she was, there was a part of her that heard everything. Saw everything. The whispers about her in public places. The unnaproving looks of people who were strangers to her. _There's that queer junkie punk again. Hope she doesn't look this way. Or decide to bomb the fucking town one day. Turn it to glass._ She sighed _. Stop thinking. There's a horrible future with plenty of time to think. Just drive._

She mostly managed to drown out her inner monologue chainsmoking and watching the lines in the road. Occasionally slowing down to avoid debris or a dead car in the road. It was getting darker. She knew she couldn't keep driving for much longer without stopping without falling asleep at the wheel, _possibly killing us both, which is what we deserve._

 _No._

 _Stop it. Max doesn't deserve that. She tried._

 _But she saved your stupid ass. Over everyone. Over David. Joyce. Everyone._

 _No._

She had to pull off the road for a while, the emotions she was so good at suppressing were starting to surface. She saw a sign for a "SCENIC OCEAN BYPASS DRIVE", _ugh, good enough._

* * *

Stars. There were stars. The clouds had past. _Had the storm passed? No._ And the rush of waves breaking against rock and sand. The blue haired girl sat on the hood of the truck staring blankly out at ocean. She had stopped at some scenic tourist trap along 101 to gather her thoughts. Max was asleep. She took a long drag from her cigarette. She was on her second pack since leaving Arcadia bay a few hours before. She'd seen maybe three cars on the way. Three. On interstate 101. "Hella fucking hell", she said through the smoke to nobody in particular.

There wasn't enough punk grrrl attitude in her or the fucking world to stop what was starting to hit her. The guilt. The tiredness. The genuinely cruel irony of it all. Just the sheer weight of it all. She thought about her mother. David. Rachel. Max barely clinging to this plane in the truck, behind her. She began to laugh. It wasn't the laugh of a sane person. It wasn't the laugh of a psychopath, either.

It was the laugh of a broken nineteen year old girl.

Still laughing, she slid down the truck's grille, her boots meeting the pavement. She walked forward towards the sandy beach that should have still had Blackwell and other local students partying well into the night on it, despite being early october. She walked and walked until she collapsed, laughing all the way. Only when her neon blue head hit the sand did she stop. She then began to cry.

Something inside Chloe Price died that day.

* * *

Max was in the dark room. Or some place like it. Hellish, twisted, proportions warped into a hellish dreamscape, a vortex of bad memories and mixed emotions. She was restrained again. She could feel Jefferson watching her every move, camera in hand. She held her eyes shut so tightly she thought they'd burst. She did this for what seemed like eternity, all the while every voice from every person in Arcadia Bay screamed at her.

"WHY DID YOU LET US DIE"

"WAS THE PUNK BITCH REALLY WORTH IT"

"WE'LL BE SEEING YOU AGAIN MAX, REAL FUCKING SOON".

Eventually she simply couldn't take it anymore. She opened her eyes and looked up to face Jefferson again. It wasn't like it was the first time.

But the face she expected wasn't what she got, she was looking into her own eyes. At her own self, dressed as she had been five days ago, staring at her from the sofa across from the hellish portrait studio she was confined to.

"Maxine, Maxine, Maxine", her other self said, almost sadly, "wowser, right? Like we totally did it, we saved everyone just like you wanted. Just like that blue bitch wanted, we totally did it, we saved everyone, if everyone's name is Chloe Price, if not, you know, fuck 'em, right?"

"Shut the fuck up, you stupid bitch."

"Easy there, champ. I'm still you and you are still me, don't drag our self esteem into this, you might hurt our feelings or something."

"Why are you here, or why am I here, what is here, where am I?"

"What your little mind perceived Jefferson's glorified storm cellar as. That's where you are. As for the former, you know exactly why i'm here. You don't listen, Maxine. You never listen. I thought Chloe was the ADHD poster child, but you, god damn, you do not pay attention."

"That doesn't explain anything", Max retorted, she could feel blood dripping from her nostrils, taste it in the back of her mouth, "why would you be here now….now that….now".

The other Max sighed, standing up and stretching, boredly.

"Now that you killed everyone? Now that Chloe walked away from the truck two hours ago and hasn't come back, probably getting high or touching herself to memories of Rachel, yeah that deal was clearly worth everyone in Arcadia Bay _**and-**_ "

"AND WHAT? YOU KNOW WHAT, NO. FUCK YOU. ENOUGH. JUST, TELL ME WHY", Max demanded, spitting blood to the concrete floor.

"You never let me finish, Maxine. Because, dumbass, you made the wrong decision. I was kind of the last chance to turn back, last bit of denial, final step of the grieving process to be conquered, and it didn't work, I only exist because you allow me to. I'm you. You're me. Happy family. Right? Wrong, I don't want to be here anymore than you do. But you know, when you can bend reality and go fucking with timelines and universes and substructures and...well, it doesn't matter. Because we're in this together."

"I...I didn't make….the wrong choice", Max whimpered, tears with the blood, "I didn't."

"Really now, interesting, and why was one person so much more important than everyone, hmm? Why would you ignore every warning. Why, Maxine."

"Max. Never Maxine."

"Heh. Heh. Heh. Nice redirect, Caulfield. Well, we both know the answer anyway. Unfortunately you believe it, too. You know, you created this shithole we're in right now, you can leave any time you like, I don't know for how long though, I mean, you belong here, after what you did, but, still…."

The other version of herself walked the small distance to her and undid the restraints on her wrists.

"You're on your own with the rest, Max Max."

"Why are you letting me go?"

"Because i'm you and I don't like being tied to a fucking chair."

Max undid the ankle restraints, stood up and took a few uneasy steps. She turned to face herself. She found herself smiling sadly.

"Maxine, you better go find out where your precious punk is, I have the rest of our short lives to torment you."

"I don't need you, I don't want you, just leave me alone."

"If that were true, I wouldn't still be here, but I digress, go find your number one priority", the last bit said with more sarcasm and resentment than she knew possible, "i'll be seeing you again, real soon."

* * *

Max was, for the first time in what seemed an eternity, but was probably only hours, acutely aware of her surroundings.

 _Chloe's truck, we were driving, I was there but I was also somewhere else, we stopped once. Chloe said something about gas and food. And cigarettes._

Max sat up, she instinctively reached up to brush the dried blood from under her nose, but found almost nothing. _Well, there's that,_ she thought. She looked around, dark. Too dark. Way too fucking dark. The only light seemed to be the stars and even they seemed dulled somehow. And Chloe was nowhere to be found.

 _Chloe where the hell are you, I need you._

 _ **Heh. Hehheh. As much as she needs you right?**_

Max stopped herself from thinking further, her own voice taunting her was getting old really fast. She decided to think later, act now. There was too much. Too fucking much to consider. She couldn't deal with it alone, anyway, she'd rather have thrown herself off the cliff in Arcadia.

 _Maybe I should have._

" _ **Maybe" you should have.**_

 _Ugh._

She rested her aching head in her hand for a moment, then reached for the door handle. She opened the door to a cold blast of seaside October air and shivered. She was freezing. She looked around. Chloe had left her jacket.

 _That's not good._

She put it on anyway, relishing the smell of stale cigarettes and cheap deodorant. Of Chloe.

She had no idea where to even start looking, or if she should just wait, maybe Chloe just went to take a piss or something.

 _Yeah right. Because anything is ever that simple._

 _ **Dying is supposed to be.**_

 _SHUT UP._

She knew she needed to find the older girl now, her own internal monologue could wait. She knew something bad was up, she just knew, the same way she knew every time Chloe was in danger. Like they were linked through….what had Chloe said, destiny? Yeah, that.

She found a maglite under the seat of the truck, her phone was long dead, along with some more questionable items, but then, what was normal, at this point? She was looking for her best friend on a beach in the middle of the night, coming from their destroyed town, destruction that she caused, by saving her best friend over and over again in the last week. Normal.

It didn't take her long to pick up the trail, she shone the light straight ahead from the truck and could see bootprints, long strides at that, in the sand. She knew they were the only people here, she just knew.

 _Which is...strange._

 _ **Is it?**_

She sighed, wondering if she was schizophrenic. A matter for later, she followed the tracks as quickly as her tiny, overtired and taxed body would allow.

"CHLOE", she called, "WHERE ARE YOU?"

Nothing. _Fuck._

She stopped when she saw a large impression in the sand, like someone had fallen. She was becoming increasingly worried with every step and this was elevating it to new highs. Then she saw it.

A dark blue beanie.

Chloe had fallen here. But the tracks led away again.

 _God dammit, Chloe,_ _ **where are you**_.


	2. Running Up That Hill

**Cold. It was cold. Freezing, actually. The seaside october breeze blowing across the dark beach like the waves crashing against the rocks on the shoreline. Chloe was cold. So cold. And not just because she had forgotten her jacket and lost her precious hat on her almost unconscious stroll along the shore. A different kind of cold. She knew she shouldn't have left Max alone. She knew she should have just tried to sleep it off when they stopped. But how could she? How could she ever sleep off what had happened. How could she ever sleep again, period?**

It was bitterly cold. Chloe sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, holding them to her chest, inside the small shelter of a rowboat on it's side, leaned against a tree, a small distance from a boat launch. She had been screaming her lungs out. Her heart out. Her soul out. The sound muffled by her patched-up jean-clad legs. For her mother. For David. For Rachel. For Max. For herself. For everyone.

 _Why Max. WHY. WHY DID YOU LET ME LIVE? I DON'T DESERVE IT. EVERYONE DESERVED SO MUCH MORE THAN I DO. WHY. EVERYONE COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED. EVERYONE. EXCEPT RACHEL….._ Rachel.

Chloe had tried not to think about Rachel. After learning that she had been fucking Frank, and Max's warning to not go after Nathan, she pushed her out of her mind.

"I loved you Rachel. I loved you so fucking much. You were my angel", she choked out, "Mom, I am so fucking sorry. So, so fucking sorry. You deserved so much better. Not just dying in a diner, either, you deserved a better fucking daughter. Even David deserved more."

 _But. Max. She. I. I don't…..I love her too. But what we did. Do I resent her for what she did? Five fucking years without so much as a postcard? And then we let everyone die. Everyone. But. Max put herself through hell for me. Why. Why was I so worth it? She couldn't write a goddamned letter, but she risked her life how many times, saved me how many times? And she still chose me over everyone. Everyone. Mom…. my step...dad._

She began to cry again. She didn't think that was even possible at this point. She pulled the lighter from her back pocket. She didn't have her smokes, they were in her jacket, in the truck, _with Max._ She simply flicked it on and off, igniting and snuffing the flame over, and over, and over, until she was entranced by it. " _I live, I die, I live again",_ she thought.

 _But I think my Lazarus days are over. And I think i'd rather be in the ground. But….Max. She loves you, you fucking idiot. She always did. She gave up everything. Her own fucking innocence. Everything she knew. Everyone. She tried so hard. So, so hard. And she gave it all up to save you. Destroying herself in the proces. And you are hella mad at her, Chloe Price? You are really a cu-_

Her thoughts were becoming too much again. She wanted to die. She also wanted to live for fucking ever to make the sacrifice worth it. She knew she should be getting up. Going back to the truck. It had to have been at least an hour since her first breakdown. She felt the skin on her tattooed arm. Very, very faintly, she could feel the raised ribbons of scarred skin underneath the ink. The ink that did such a good job covering what Rachel had saved her from.

 _Yeah, saved, I just took up smoking, drinking and drugs instead. Saved._

She sighed deeply. She needed a cigarette. She needed to get up. Get back to Max, but could not will herself to move. She knew she walked too far. She didn't even know where "here" was from wherever she started from. She had just been walking drearily, crying, screaming, and cursing the sky until her voice was hoarse and she was freezing. The propped up boat was both good cover and a good place to finish her meltdown.

 _This meltdown will never end. And shit, I lost my hat._

She stood on unsteady legs. She was so tired. So, so, so tired. Past what she knew tiredness to be.

 _So tired. So...so…..._ she slumped back down into the sand.

* * *

"Chloe, wake up, come on, don't die on me yet."

A voice. _Not Max's_.

"CHLOE PRICE WAKE THE FUCK UP."

"...Ra...Rachel?", Chloe forced her eyes open. It was daytime, _Jesus, how long was I out for?_ Silent. Except for the waves, "...Rachel...how...I….you….Nathan….Frank"

She looked up. She wasn't on the beach, huddled under a boat shell anymore. This place... _the lighthouse? How?_ She sat up from the bench she had been asleep on. _Was it all a dream? A fucking nightmare to end all fucking nightmares? How was is this possible, the lighthouse, Arcadia is fine. I can see it...Rachel's voice, I how, I…._ She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Max?", she asked, still in a daze.

"Not quite." That voice. She knew that voice. She shot up and spun around. Rachel Amber stood facing her, well, looking up at her, she was small, _like Max_.

"Rachel. I...how...I….was it...a dream...aren't you….dead", she felt herself crying again.

"No, it was not a dream. And to the second one, yes, in a manner of speaking."

"How...can you...how is this possible. How the fuck is this possible. I was on a beach, I was with Max I was…"

"Calm down, Chloe. You always get ahead of yourself."

"Get ahead of myself? I just killed everyone I know. I just destroyed everything I ever loved or knew or cared about or-"

"No", Rachel said calmly, she was still beautiful, even in death, "walk with me, Chloe".

She turned and started down the path from the lighthouse, she was dressed in the same clothes Max had borrowed, her blonde hair blew lazily in the autumn wind. Chloe was so lost. So, so lost. If she thought she was lost before, she would laugh at herself, if she could go back. She followed a few steps behind. Slowly. Unsteadily.

"Rachel. Where are we?"

"Arcadia Bay."

"But how is that possible, it doesn't exist anymore, and it sure as hell isn't this peaceful, whatever is left of it."

"Chloe, you always thought in straight lines. You need a broader perspective. Like Max."

"Max? What does Max have to do with this?"

"Everything, Chloe. Everything. I understand why you chose her. I do. I could never compete with that."

"...Wha...what? You were fucking Frank behind my back. I was just your plaything on the fucking side Rachel. I loved you. I loved you so fucking much. You abandoned me. You-"

"I was murdered, Chloe. I didn't abandon anyone. And I had my reasons. You, you on the other hand were so brash. So quick to judge. To hate. I love you, Chloe Price, but you are impossible. Or, you were."

"Rachel. You should have told me. You still should have tried. I can't….I never…"

"I did try Chloe, I did. You never wanted to listen. You just redirected the conversation back to your problems, or to Max. Don't think I don't know, Chloe. I know what I was to you. And I understand. I forgive you."

"YOU FORGIVE ME? FOR WHAT? YOU FUCKED ME OVER, YOU DID THIS TO ME."

"Chloe, you know as well as I do that I was a stand-in for the only person you've ever really loved. The only person that could ever help you. She didn't even have to try, like I did."

Rachel smiled, looking...content. Her jay feather earring shown bright blue in the sun, in contrast to her blonde hair and red flannel and white t-shirt. Chloe was so broken by this point that she had to sit down again, right on the ground, straight down, like a drunk staggering into his living room after a night at the bar.

"Rachel. I'm sorry. I am. For everything. For what happened to you. For me. I didn't know. I didn't see it. I know how I am. I do. But I can't ever face myself. I hate what I see in the mirror. And I hate what I see in my own mind even more. I can't do it. I could never do it. You should have let me die, you shouldn't have bothered trying to save me."

"That choice was never up to me, Chloe. It was always up to you. You. You never actually wanted to die. You were waiting. You were biding time. And this is not the first time we've had this conversation."

"...What? We never talked about this. I…", she stuttered.

"You wouldn't remember. It's not important right now anyway. What's important is, the person you were waiting for all those years, the person that just mentally killed herself for you needs you."

"Max", she said sadly.

"It was always Max, Chloe. I know it. You knew it. Even Joyce knew it."

Chloe actually laughed.

"How many times did you tell me that lighthouse story, Chloe?"

"Every day, probably."

"Probably is an understatement.

This was suddenly becoming strange. It felt like the old days with Rachel….just….talking.

"Why am I always the last to know everything?", asked Chloe.

"You? When I let you go back I didn't think for a second that Max…"

"Woah, wait, what? What the hell did you just say?"

"I can't talk about this now Chloe. I've already overstepped here. Help Max. She's worried fucking sick about you right now."

"Rachel", but Rachel was already walking down the path, into the woods. "RACHEL!"

"WHAT THE FUCK DID THAT MEAN?"

Rachel was already gone.

* * *

"CHLOE, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?", Max was getting frantic now, the tracks in the sand had ended at gravel, where a lot of rowboats, kayaks and small motorboats were stored on land near the boat launch of….wherever the hell they were, off season.

She felt like something bad had happened, she felt like she had in the alternate timeline when Chloe had asked her to help her... _don't think about that._

To Max's surprise, her own voice didn't echo back something completely opposite. _Well, that's one problem out of the way...for now_ , she thought.

Still, it was pitch dark, freezing cold, and Chloe was out here somewhere without so much as her light leather jacket, which max had commandeered and put on over her own hoodie. A little too much like when she had worn Chloe's necklace, in another timeline, only... _Days? Hours?_ , ago.

She couldn't possibly search this entire small marina on her own. She didn't know if she could still rewind, she also didn't want to find out. _I have no idea how long ago she wandered off, anyway_.

She kept calling Chloe's name, but her voice was getting hoarse. She leaned against a small fishing boat, on stands, not unlike the one in Chloe's secret junkyard hideout, but in much better shape.

She summoned all of her strength and gave it one final try, "CHLOE FUCKING PRICE, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"...MAX?" Chloe's voice. A weak yell. A shell of her normal voice.

"CHLOE, KEEP TALKING, I CAN'T FIND YOU, IT'S TOO DARK."

To Max's surprise, she felt arms wrap around her waist from behind, she instinctively panicked, and tried to break free.

"Max. Calm down. It's me", Chloe.

"Chloe? ….what the fuck, why did you run off, I was so scared, I", Max began to cry.

"Shh. It's okay. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I had a breakdown. I didn't know where I was going."

"Chloe, you promised you wouldn't leave me, you promised."

"I'm right here Max, and i'm not going anywhere."

 _ **That's what she thinks, anyway,**_ Max heard some other her say inside her own head, but right now she didn't care. She collapsed into Chloe, dragging the taller girl to the ground with her, crying and apologizing. Chloe realized she wasn't just apologizing to her, but to everyone. Chloe decided to let Max have her moment. She was sure there would be many. And there was something she needed to talk about with Max, fucking asap. But it could wait, for now.

"Shh, Max. My Max. It's alright. I promise. We fucked up. But we're both still here."

" _ **For now**_ ", Max said, not quite sounding like herself.

"...what?", Chloe wasn't even sure she heard Max speak.

"I...didn't….say anything…", Max choked out between sobs.

"...alright, Max", Chloe said, shaken a little.

"Promise me, Chloe."

"Promise what, Max?"

"That you aren't going to leave me again. I'm never leaving you again. Ever."

"I promise Max, let's go back to the truck. We have a miserable future to plan."

So they walked, mostly in silence, back towards the truck, following Chloe's boot prints and Max's smaller sneaker prints in the sand. It was a small comfort, knowing they'd both walked the same path in the same reality, and were both still here to follow it back.

Small comforts. Something they were going to need a lot of.


	3. She's Lost Control

**The two girls were asleep, huddled together for warmth in the cab of an old pickup truck at a truck stop along the highway.**

Max woke up first, jarred from another nightmare. A dark room. A crazed teacher. A storm. Her best friend dying. The usual for her now. The new normal, it seemed. She supposed she didn't know, it had only been a few days. Chloe had said something about Portland, but they had been on the road for a while. Portland wasn't _that_ far. And Max knew that was no longer the plan. She knew, after the news and Chloe's close call last night, what they had to do. It was just that doing it was another thing entirely. A much harder thing.

Max figured it had been about three days. It'd been nighttime twice since their beach fiasco. Their phones were dead. Max wished she could call her parents, she could not even imagine their fear and concern. But she couldn't say this around Chloe. No. Chloe no longer had anyone but her.

 _And that's my fault. Oh...Joyce…..i'm so, so sorry. I love you. You don't even have to forgive me. It's okay, I understand._

 _ **Do you, Maxine?**_

 _I'm so sorry._

 _ **Are you really?**_

She also wasn't sure if Seattle was...

 _ **Maxine Caulfield, Serial Killer.**_

 _Roads blocked because of the emergency. We heard helicopters…last night or the night before?  
_

 _ **Too little, too late.**_

 _SHUT UP._

She wasn't sure. She was also tired of her own mind pulling this talking back shit on her. She still wasn't one hundred percent lucid, one hundred percent of the time. She felt safer in Chloe's embrace, the truck had a small cab, and somehow she'd gone from clinging to Chloe as she fell asleep, to being kind of half lying down across the bench seat, on top of Chloe, with Chloe holding onto her for dear life, it seemed. Max liked it. It felt...safe. Right. It gave her a good feeling, somewhere in her soul. A new one. Well, not really new. She had the feeling before, she had always had it around Chloe. She just didn't realize it until it was gone. It had been gone for five years. And it had been gone so many times in the last week.

 _I don't deserve good feelings though. Not anymore. Not ever again._

 _ **Now you're getting it.**_

 _Stop it. Please._

* * *

Sometimes Chloe was unreachable. Lost somewhere in her own head. At these times she'd pull over, usually smoke a few cigarettes, and they'd talk. About everything, everything but the topics they needed to discuss, Max shied from the last week entirely, Chloe never pushed her to talk about it, though she often cried it out when she thought Max was asleep, which was _a lot_ for several days, but then, they'd been through a lot in the several days before that.

Chloe never brought up her... _conversation?_ with Rachel. Max never actually brought the topic of her feelings for Chloe up. Chloe didn't even know how to approach that subject. She knew Rachel had been right, though. But Max was in no position to discuss these things. Or discuss Rachel. Chloe actually felt more content when she was listening to Max talk aimlessly about when they were kids, or her favorite folk albums or photographers Chloe had never heard of. She figured it did her friend some good, too, to not think and just talk. Chloe really didn't care which Dylan album was the best to sleep to or who figured out Polaroid film, but Max talked in a way that made her interested in hearing Max _talk._

 _Or is that another feeling, something you haven't felt since Rachel. No. William. But different. Since Max left._

Chloe didn't know. She didn't want to think too much. She just knew the pain went away for the most part when Max was clinging to her for warmth _and something else…_ when they slept.

And that was enough for her, for now.

* * *

Among the questionable items under the seat of Chloe's truck, was an emergency radio. Chloe didn't even remember it. Max was slightly concerned by the mini crossbow, baseball bat, bolt cutters, numerous spraypaint cans, old lighters, empty cigarette packs, assortment of knives, old Black Flag, L7 and Fugazi cassettes...it just, went on. If you _could_ get something under the bench seat of an old pickup, Chloe Price _had_.

They had spent hours at the empty truck stop picnic area the night before deciding whether or not to turn the thing on, assuming it worked. They had seen next to nobody except each other in days, which would have been fine for both of them, in normal circumstances. But this, Max needed to know the damage, while catastrophic to Arcadia Bay, had actually just been confined to Arcadia bay.

"Why, does it even fucking matter at this point?", Chloe had asked, another cigarette dangling from her lips.

"Chloe. I caused this. I caused all of this. It's like some fucking Mad Max wasteland here. We've been on the road for at least two days and seen what, five cars going the other way on the road, you aren't the least bit fucking creeped out by this?", Max insisted.

"Oh, I am. I'm fucking scared shitless, Max. Which is why I don't know if I want to know, besides, I don't want you to….", she stopped herself, _find out you...we….are even bigger mass murderers than we thought? To hear the names of all of our friends and family listed among the dead or missing? To find out there is no signal because the fucking world ended, which is what it looks like? That's gonna stop the nightmares, Max. That's going to fix everything._

"Me to what, Chloe?", Max caught Chloe's sudden shift from careless (different than carefree, she knew that Chloe too, hadn't seen her in a while though) to on extreme edge.

"I...nothing, Max. Turn it on if you want."

"Chloe, we need to know…. _I_ need to know."

Chloe sighed. "Alright, hit it, Mad Max", she did her best to steel herself for whatever she was about to hear. Max fumbled with the dials, despite the overwhelming static, there were clearly edges of distant stations coming in, _so the whole world hasn't stopped_.

And then Max found it. An AM news broadcast.

Chloe heard bits and pieces. That was all she needed.

The words "total destruction" and "act of God" were being thrown around. A lot. The storm wasn't confined to Arcadia Bay, it effected most of the west coast, which she already figured out. The interstates were indeed closed, but due to a massive shortage of law enforcement officials, with all help available being diverted to the Arcadia Bay area, it wasn't a huge surprise they hadn't seen roadblocks. There had also been helicopters two nights ago. At least two separate sets of at least five. Sometime between their slow drive daze out of the ruins of Arcadia and the time which Chloe stopped for gas, everything along 101 had been evacuated for fear of a storm surge, and the roads hadn't been reopened because everything was such a mess in Arcadia, and further south. When they got to talking about the death toll, Chloe strode over quickly and grabbed the radio, throwing it into the woods.

"Chloe, what the fuck?", Max demanded.

"I don't want to know."

"Well I-"

"Really, Max, do you?"

"...I don't know", Max was beginning to cry again, she had been numb listening to the report, but now it was hitting her. Again., "I did this Chloe, I did all of this."

"Max…"

"ALL OF THIS", she began sobbing violently.

Chloe wrapped her arms around the younger girl and held her tightly, "Breathe Max, if anyone did anything, I did it by not dying."

* * *

Several hours of Max having another breakdown later, she finally spoke.

"We have to go back", she said sadly, desperately.

"No. Fuck that shit. I don't want to see it. I don't. I can't", Chloe pleaded.

"Chloe, we did this. I did this. We have to see what actually happened. We were both so fucked up leaving. I know…", the tears again, "...Warren's dead. And Joyce probably. But Kate and David, they had a chance, Kate was inland at the hospital, and David, maybe even Joyce-"

"Fuck off, Max", Chloe said suddenly, "Stop talking. Stop it. I don't care. I don't want to hear about Any of it. I don't care. I don't fucking care anymore."

Max was shocked by Chloe's sudden coldness, she'd been distant, but this, this was something else.

"Chloe, don't…"

"Don't what? I get it. I do. We're mass murderers. But I never wanted this. I was ready to die. You tore up that photo, you brought this on us. You. And you'll probably just leave me again. What if Kate is still alive, Max? What if David is? Your parents? I don't fucking know if Seattle is still on the map, but if it is, you'll just run away again. Leave me in the ruins, to deal with it on my own, like everyone fucking else."

Max was hurt by this sudden outburst. Chloe's words cut like a razor.

"Chloe...I...I didn't….mean to...I didn't want this. I fucking didn't want this anymore than you did."

"But you did it anyway. I wasn't worth it. I never was", another cigarette, Chloe wouldn't even meet Max's eyes, she stared off into space.

"Chloe Price. Look at me."

"Fuck you, Max. Fuck you, fuck Rachel, fuck David, fuck it all."

"CHLOE, LOOK AT ME", Max grabbed Chloe and forced her to look into her face, ripping the cigarette out of her mouth and flicking it into the woods, "I love you Chloe. I love you more than anything in any world, timeline, whatever. I always have. That's why I did it. I couldn't lose you. I've seen you die so many times. So fucking many, I couldn't do it again. And maybe the fucking world ended, I don't know. Maybe there is nobody left on the entire west coast, but I would have rather jumped off that cliff than have lost you again. My life means absolutely nothing without you, you bitch. I know you loved Rachel and probably still do. But I love you and I need you. I was going to kiss you on the cliff, but it wasn't the right time. And you promised me we were in this together. Don't just blame me, Chloe. You were the one who was supposed to die. I just couldn't let it happen."

Chloe just sat, staring into Max's eyes, her own blue eyes somewhere between cold and desperate.

"Well, then maybe" Chloe started, the tone in her voice pure venom, "I should just do this", before Max even had a chance to react Chloe had a switchblade in her hand, pulled from either her boot or a pocket, Max wasn't sure, she held it to her wrist, "maybe this would solve everything, the bastard universe would be appeased."

"Chloe, put that thing down, please. Stop it."

"Max, I talked to Rachel."

"You….what?", now Max was lost for words.

"Back on the beach. I blacked out. When I woke up I was in Arcadia, at the lighthouse. Everything was fine. Peaceful. Rachel was there. She told me she let me go back. Or something, I don't know what she meant. But maybe, just maybe, I was the one who fucked up somewhere along the line. And maybe this will fix it", the blade got closer to her wrist.

"Chloe. Please. I need you here. Please don't fucking do this, what will this do, you'll just be abandoning me like I did to you, and we promised we were done with that", Max was too upset to even cry. She was just numb.

Chloe began laughing. Max knew Chloe was….unstable, but this, this rapid change, was new to her. This was a different Chloe than Max knew, and it was fucking terrible. And dangerous.

"Chloe I swear to God, even if you fucking do this, I will rewind, I will fucking rewind and throw that knife away."

Chloe looked back up at her. What she did next caught Max even more off guard than the knife had. Chloe kissed her. Deeply. She dropped the knife, it clattered to the ground. She wouldn't let go of Max now, pulling her into her, making the kiss deeper. Finally she relented. She simply stood up, picked the switchblade up and stowed it again. Max wished she would just get rid of it.

"Chloe…."

"Come on Max, let's get some sleep. We have a long drive back to Arcadia in the morning."


	4. Here Comes a Regular

" _To the center of the city where all roads meet, waiting for you, to the depths of the ocean where all hopes sank, waiting for you_ " **, the radio was blaring in Chloe's truck. Max seriously wondered about Chloe's choice of music, considering where they were going,** " _In the Shadowplay acting out your own death knowing no more_ " **, was this intentional? Max didn't know. She knew it wasn't something she'd listen to. But it was Chloe. And, Chloe was...Chloe. Who seemed to be back to herself, which was strange to Max considering last night she had held a blade to her own wrist and contemplated doing more than just holding it there. But then...Chloe was Chloe.**

"Chloe are you…alright?", Max asked, genuinely.

"WHAT" **,** Chloe yelled back, across the cab.

Max reached over and turned the morbid music down.

"Chloe, are you…feeling alright, I mean, all things considered?"

"I'm fine, Max. For now anyway. You witnessed a rare Chloe Price human moment last night, they happen, hella surprising I know", Chloe grinned, very subtly.

Max couldn't help smiling, despite the seriousness of the situation, "And what are you usually then, if not human?"

"A scary punk ghost, obvs", she shot back.

"Well, you are pretty scary sometimes."

"And pretty punk all the time. And pretty all the time. Pretty In Blue was about me, you know."

"...it's Pretty In Pink...and has nothing to do with you or...anything."

"Shhh, Max."

Max sighed. It was actually good to see Chloe acting like herself again. She didn't know how long that would last, they didn't have much farther to go until they were home. Or, whatever was left of home.

"You haven't eaten in like a day dude, here", Chloe said, shoving the backpack full of random junk food across the bench seat. There wasn't much left, aside from mini-cherry pies. Chloe refused to touch anything with cherries in a way that was actually hilarious to Max, going so far as to dump the contents of the bag out and pick through them to avoid them.

"And you're a thief. But at least you're a cute thief", Max said, through a mouthful of some sugary, processed cherry thing.

"...cute? I'm offended, Caulfield", Chloe put on her best faux-offended tone.

"Shuddup, Chloe", Max laughed. It was good to laugh.

"I think you mean badass."

"Badass, cute, pretty punk thief."

"That's better, Max."

They laughed.

* * *

 _ **This won't last, she'll leave you again, or worse, Maxine, you know it. I know it. God knows it...if he's even still paying attention to us after what you did.**_

 _Was that….doubt I heard?_

 _ **Don't say I didn't warn you.**_

 _If you say so._

 _ **I do, Maxine. I do.**_

 _You know, you are starting to get less intimidating. Losing your edge._

 _ **Just wait and see what happens, Maxine.**_

 _If you say so._

* * *

"MAX", Chloe yelled, "ARE YOU WITH ME HERE?", sometimes Max seemed to get lost in her head, Chloe hadn't asked what that was about, yet. She didn't think it was a good topic to bring up. She would eventually, I mean it couldn't be crazier than Rachel coming to her in a blackout dream, could it?

"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking."

"Nothing good ever came of thinking, Max, I never think and I turned out great."

Max laughed again, "You turned out perfect, Chloe."

Chloe had no response, other than turning her head to hide the blushing.

"Okay so, seriously, like, what's the plan here, Max, I know where we're going, but beyond that i'm kinda lost."

"I think we just need to go back. I feel it. Like…."

"Destiny? I was afraid you were gonna say that."

"Your word", Max replied gently, "but yeah, something like that. I think we should see what...actually happened. And try to find out if anyone made it."

"Well, someone had to, right, I mean….", Chloe _almost_ regretted throwing the radio away. _Almost_.

"Someone had to, I just hope it wasn't…", Max trailed off again.

Chloe knew that look.

"Max, he's dead, he has to be", Chloe knew Mark Jefferson had done something horrible to Max, but not specifics. She didn't really want to know, she already wanted to gut him from the balls to the chin, based on what she did know. Plus what he'd forced Nathan to do to Rachel, and what he'd done to Kate Marsh.

Chloe didn't know Kate very well, she had actually caught Chloe stealing out of the church's collection box, last Christmas Eve. Chloe had no reason to be there other than to steal from the collection box. Kate could have called the police, or yelled, but she just said a prayer and asked Chloe to put it back politely, which she had. Chloe had talked to Kate a few times since then, she didn't agree with her religion...especially now, but she liked Kate as a person. A friend, maybe, in another life. _And now she's gone._

"I know, I just keep thinking, what if he was down in his lair when the storm hit?"

"And he's been down there, what, eating his film? For days? The fucker is gone, Max."

"Maybe. I still don't know though, i'm...scared."

"Max, even if he somehow were still alive, he's going to have to go through me to get to you."

Max winced. She saw Chloe getting shot in the head by Jefferson again, in her mind.

"Chloe, just swear to me you'll be careful and stick with me."

"I swear, Max. Oh….aaaaaand one….other thing."

"What?", Max wasn't sure she liked where Chloe's tone was going.

"You aren't going to like it. We have to go to the lighthouse, if we can. I have this feeling."

"I'm never going back up there, Chloe, not after-"

"Max. Please. Listen to me. In my dream or whatever it was, that was where I talked to Rachel. She started to say something she couldn't finish, and it's been eating away at what's left of my sanity ever since. Maybe it was just a dream. I don't know. It didn't feel like a dream."

"So you want to see Rachel again", it was a statement, not a question, Chloe was sure she perceived Max edging slightly more to her own side of the truck cab. _Is Max jealous of a dead girl?_

"Not like that, Max. At all. I want an answer to something", Chloe stated flatly, "that is all."

Max decided to change the subject. She was deeply confused by her own feelings, the kiss last night, and the way they'd been sleeping the last couple nights. And an awkward shower at some beach along 101. _At least there's no more blood in my hair, i'm not sure why Chloe felt the need to take one at the same time, though._

"So if Arcadia is like, quarantined or something, no one in or out, how are we going to get in, I mean, we've passed what, a couple humvees, a few ambulances, which is more traffic than we have seen in the last three days, but it's still not much."

They were still far enough away that they were in kind of a dead zone, with the evacuation and no large cities nearby. Chloe had already been considering this, she knew it was going to look like a warzone, and not just from the damage of the storm, when they got closer.

"My dear Max, we improvise, like every good pirate", Chloe's devilish grin was back, for the first time in a while. Max didn't realize how much she'd missed it, "The name is Chloe Price, _Captain_ Chloe Price."

"Dork."

"Hipster."

* * *

They were about 3 miles out of Arcadia, the damage to the surroundings was much worse, the closer they got. Max had fallen silent again. Chloe was smoking again. The road was mostly clear, but now they were starting to pass through emergency stations, police cars, fire vehicles and FEMA trucks, though. So far they hadn't been stopped, though Chloe had slowed the pickup to a crawl, and they were getting a lot of strange looks, no one stopped them though, they were busy with their own disasters.

 _ **They know what you did, Maxine. That's why they are staring. They all know you did this. They all blame you. You and your precious junkie.**_

 _No. They are staring because they are wondering what the fuck two young girls in a ratty pickup are doing going into a disaster area._

 _ **They know. Everyone knows. They probably have wanted posters up all over, plastered over Rachel's "missing persons" posters.**_

 _That doesn't even make sense, you're reaching now._

 _ **What about any of this has made sense, Maxine?**_

* * *

"MAAAAAX", Chloe cut Max's internal argument short again.

"Huh...what?"

"Trouble", Chloe said, she seemed more concerned than she probably should have been.

Max realized they had stopped, one corner from being able to see the town, she could see the broken lighthouse on the cliff in the distance, towering over the town, though. _Beautiful even in death._

There was a state trooper car behind them. And an Arcadia Bay Police car in front of them, "nowhere to run, nowhere to run, nowhere to run", Chloe was repeating under her breath.

Max knew Chloe had run ins with the police before, and a whole shitload of outstanding traffic violations, but she didn't know exactly how acquainted she was with the Bay's Finest, pretty well, based on her reaction now.

"Chloe calm down, they're just going to ask why we're here, we just say we're from here, and we have friends and family here."

"And that we've been cruising around an evac zone for days because we caused this and didn't know where to go or how to come back or when to come back or if it was over or-"

"CHLOE, CALM DOWN. Just...please, for once, stay calm", Max pleaded.

Chloe took a deep breath, "Alright, alright."

The Arcadia cop knocked on the truck's driver side window, breaking Chloe's trance. _Well if the pigs made it out, maybe some people actually made it._ She rolled the window down painfully slowly.

"May I ask what you two girls are doing here, this is a disaster area, no civilian traffic", the cop stated, robotically.

Chloe had pulled her beanie down as far as she could and still hadn't looked up to face the officer. Max started to speak, when, to her surprise, Chloe looked up and faced him.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Price? Madsen's kid? Is that you?", his tone less robotic now. Chloe recoiled at David's name.

"...hey….Jimmy….I", Chloe stuttered.

"Officer Leone, Price. But Christ, how did you...why are you out here...nobody has seen you in days, everyone thought the worst."

"Well, i'm still alive, thanks to Max here."

Max stuttered, _don't bring me into this Chloe, "_ Uh...hi, Officer...Leone, was it?"

"Aren't you one of the missing Blackwell Students? God, i'll escort you two in, i'm warning you now though, it's not pretty. At all. I don't know how long you've been gone, but I figured you had skipped town again, Price, I mean, we may have some things to talk about in the future."

"Is petty fucking vandalism really so important right now?", Chloe asked, her attitude back.

"...I guess not, but you know, laws and whatnot, honestly, i'm really just glad to see you both alive. Madsen is going to be ecstatic."

"...David...David is...ALIVE?", Chloe asked, her attitude gone again, "alive...David is...alive…"

"Hell, David has taken charge of a lot of recovery efforts, after...well, i'll let him tell you. Come on, follow me" he waved the trooper ahead, who gave him a blank look and shrugged, then pulled out and drove up the highway. The cop returned to his car, and started to drive forward, slowly. Chloe followed. Still dazed.

"Chloe, David is alive, he's alive, not everyone…"

"I know, I know", she said, oddly dismissively.

 _Joyce, she's thinking about Joyce, fuck._

"Chloe don't panic yet", she instinctively grabbed Chloe's hand, to her surprise, Chloe grabbed back, digging her blue nails into Max's skin. It hurt, but it was proof Chloe was here, with her.

* * *

They passed through several checkpoints, military, Red Cross, something, Chloe wasn't really paying attention, Jimmy doing all the talking. Chloe was thankful for that. The closer they got, the faster her heart was beating, and she was aware on some level she was probably breaking Max's hand, but she needed something to keep her grounded.

They rounded the final bend.

They'd seen the damage on some level before, but now, in the early afternoon light, coming back into the...it wasn't really a town anymore, but whatever it was, was worse than either of them had imagined.

"...Jesus…..Christ", Chloe muttered.

"I don't think he is going to help us, Chloe", Max said, tears in her eyes.


	5. Keep Slipping Away

**The words "total destruction" in the broadcast may have been overkill, but if they were, it was by a small margin. The town was still standing. At least, the outline of a town was still standing. The further from the coast, the less the damage had been. But less could only be used loosely. Overall, it looked like someone had dropped a bomb on Arcadia Bay. Or several. Chloe's words came back to haunt her** " _I'd like to drop a bomb on Arcadia Bay and turn it to fucking glass.",_ **no. She didn't. Like she told Max, she just said things like that when she was pissed off. If she had known it was going to look like this, she wished she had Max's power, so she could go back and slap herself. Hard.**

* * *

The ride through the town had been tremendously hard on both of them. Mercifully, they didn't pass the diner again. They passed by Blackwell, the old building held up pretty well considering. Businesses and homes, though, God, there was nothing left in some places. They had some faint idea of going to wherever the recovery was being based out of, _the hospital?_ Max didn't know if this was harder on her, knowing she could have prevented this, or Chloe, knowing this was because of her…..was this because of her?

 _Do I think this is because of her?_

 _ **You do.**_

 _No. Chloe deserved a chance, she deserved to be happy._

 _ **More than everyone else? Even if some survived in Arcadia, what was the damage like all over the coast, Maxine? How many died. No, Chloe had her chance, she got her last five days. She was ready to go. You couldn't follow through. Keep your end of the bargain. You didn't do it for Chloe, you did it for you, you knew what this would do to her.**_

 _I didn't…..I...really...how was I….I need her. I can't face this alone._

" _ **This" would have never happened if you just let the bitch go, did what she told you to do. There would have never been anything to face, Maxine.**_

 _Oh yes, there would have. You know that as well as I do._

 _ **Pft, hahaha. So we would have had to put on a dress for once in our life and gone to a funeral. The only way it could have been easier is if we died instead.**_

 _Is that what you want? Is that why you won't leave me alone?_

 _ **I only want what you want.**_

 _I want you to go away. I want you the fuck out of my head._

 _ **Try a bullet, it worked for Chloe, thank you Jefferson.**_

 _Fuck you. Fuck. You._

Max was tired of this shit. Her own subconscious battling her at every turn. Was it even her own subconscious or was it something else? Did some other version of her from another timeline get stuck in her head? Was she just going insane?

She sighed.

* * *

"Max, you're back in the realm of the living, thought I lost you there, you okay?", Chloe, she sounded….like normal Chloe, as normal as Chloe could be, anyway.

Max wasn't quite used to these rapid mood shifts in her best friend. Chloe had always had a temper, and in the last week or so she'd come to learn Chloe could be a bit...insecure, but this, first wandering off on her own in the middle of the night, then her horrible laughter as she held a knife to her wrist and, Max was sure, was seriously considering using it, then this morning, she was fine, like they were back to the morning after they broke into Blackwell, though that seemed an eternity ago, then she seemed...actually...scared, of the cops coming into town. Then she refused to talk from the traffic stop, all the way into town. And she claimed to have talked to Rachel, wants to go back to the lighthouse, _never going to happen_ , she'd probably smoked almost an entire carton of cigarettes in the last four days, _we need to have a talk about that_ , and now...she was asking Max if _she_ was alright?

 _What the fuck._

 _ **She's even more schizo then us! We still win on ADD, though.**_

 _Shut the fuck up._

'Chloe, i'm….I don't even know how to process all of this...destruction...I...", Max trailed off again.

"Max, it's alright. You just….kinda vanish sometimes, like, you're here, but you aren't. I get it. I do. I can't even imagine what's going on in that cute little head of yours, but I need you here, with me, right now", Chloe said.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. We had a promise, remember?"

"Of course I do, but when you go off on your hella weird little head trips, i'm kinda left hanging, ya know?"

" _My_ head trips? what was the switchblade about?", Max was suddenly annoyed by Chloe's rhetoric, "I didn't ask for this, Chloe, it's hell."

"...Max….i'm sorry...I didn't mean anything, I just", Chloe sounded as desperate as she suddenly looked. Vulnerable, was the word. For all the blue hair, leather jacket and motorcycle boots, the older girl, who had at least four inches on Max, suddenly looked very small.

"It's….fine. Let's just get to David. Find out what we're dealing with here."

"...yeah. Let's. Do that."

"Chloe, you don't know if she's….", Max knew exactly where Chloe's hesitation, this time, was coming from, "If David made it, Joyce is probably fine."

 _ **You know damn well she burned in that fucking diner, what are you doing, Maxine.**_

"I know, I know, I just...what if….I just, I wish I had been better. A better person. A better daughter. To my mother and to my step dou-….father, I mean, my father would have wanted that."

Max cringed at the mention of William, _does she know what I did?_ Max hadn't actually considered that until now, had Chloe pieced what she'd done together? _I mean, she knows I did_ _ **something**_ _, but the full extent no, she...couldn't…_

"Chloe, you're perfect. Trust me, David loves you more than you realize, I know that for a fact, time fuckery, don't ask about the details. Please. And Joyce was always with you, always, even when I….", she sighed, "When I wasn't, when I should have been. Whether you realized it or not. And i'm right here now, and i'm not going anywhere. Ever again."

"I'm far from perfect, Max. Never was. Just got less as time went on. I have a hard time believing that about David…"

"Chloe, he saved me. From Jefferson. In another reality. Timeline. Whatever, it was _our_ timeline, but I had to go back again because…."

"I died again, right? How many times, Max, how many times did I die, how many times did you flip fate off? You know what, no, I don't want to know", Chloe was getting angry again, Max could hear it. Could feel it.

"Chloe….don't do this. Please. Just trust me. Please. You still trust me, right?"

Chloe sighed.

"Chloe", Max pleaded.

"Yes. I do. This is just a lot to take in", the defensiveness was still in her voice.

"Chloe, I love you, you know that, right?"

"Yes, Max. I do", Chloe's voice was ice again, "though sometimes, like now, looking at all of this, I kind of wish you didn't. A long time ago I told you there was no one good enough for you, except for me. Well, I was wrong. There's no one good enough for you. Period."

"Don't say that. Don't ever say that, Chloe", Max couldn't even cry at this point.

"Why Max? Why? You have the power of a fucking God, and instead of saving everyone, you saved my stupid, ungrateful ass."

"That's the problem, Chloe. I know what I did. I fucking know. I have to live with it. And i'm going to need your help. You need to stop putting yourself down. Just, fucking stop it. You have no reason to. You're here now. You keep acting like a stupid, ungrateful ass. Now that you're here to stay. You have no idea, no idea at all, what I went through to keep you alive. I was not fucking going to let you go again. Obviously I saw something perfect enough in you. Maybe you don't see it, but I do. I always fucking did. So stop it", Max didn't even realize she was shouting at her friend.

Chloe fell silent. She just drove. Max recognized where they were, now, though it looked very different than it had before. They were going to the hospital, it was far enough inland that it would have held up better than most everything else in Arcadia, and was the logical place for the Red Cross, military, volunteers, whatever, to be based out of.

"Max?", Chloe broke her silence.

"Yes, Chloe?"

"I love you, Max. More than anything. I'm sorry. I'm still...I don't even know. But it's bad. This whole thing has me messed up bad."

"It's going to be okay, somehow, I promise", somehow, Max meant it.

* * *

The hospital was far from untouched by the storm, but it was in a lot better shape than it _could_ have been. They passed through another checkpoint and then were in the parking lot, which was full of tents, trucks, and relief workers. Max tried not to look at the injured. So many. She didn't know if she could handle seeing someone she knew personally here right now. Probably not. So she just stared straight ahead. Chloe stopped to give a man in fatigues her name and address, then continued onward, following Jimmy's police car, as she had been. Then they came to a parking area next to a large Red Cross tent. Max and Chloe both recognized David's battered muscle car immediately. Jimmy kept going, waving as he went back the way they came in, Chloe parked next to David's car.

"Not coming with us, is he?"

"David can be scary, plus he probably has a lot to deal with. We'll be fine."

"Chloe, promise me something. Don't get mad. Try not to, anyway."

"What is it?", Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"No matter what has happened, no matter how bad it is, no matter what goes down in there, you aren't going to run off, or something."

"I'm not going to. I promise. I'm just...i'm scared, okay?"

"I know, I am too."

* * *

They got out of the truck, neither of them really wanting to touch Arcadia's soil, but they had no choice, now. Chloe grabbed Max's hand as she came around the front of the truck. They started towards the tent. Time felt slow. Max felt like she was frozen in time again, but she knew she wasn't. They entered the tent hand in hand, after what seemed like an eternity. This tent wasn't full of cots and injured citizens, this one was full of tables, desks, supplies, computers, it was like a makeshift office, Max was extremely grateful for that. Chloe saw David immediately, his back was turned. He was talking with a man in scrubs and a white coat. She recognized him as the Chief of Medicine of Arcadia Bay hospital, from when she'd OD'd once a while back…. _on Max's birthday two years ago…you were going to call her...you even started driving up there...but you couldn't do it...so you went home and played with pills instead..._

The man had stopped talking and was staring blankly at her. David didn't catch the hint immediately, still barking orders at the man, though his tone was far more reserved than usual. Finally he realized he was talking to a wall and turned to see what the distraction was.

"MY GOD, CHLOE?", David yelled, not even aware he was yelling.

Chloe let go of Max's hand and broke into a run, grabbing David and hugging him, almost dragging him to the ground. David hugged her back, just as tightly.

 _Now that, is something I thought i'd never see,_ thought Max.

"Chloe, how did you...where were you? I was so fucking worried, we didn't know where you or...Max...were, nobody had seen either of you since before the storm hit."

"We were up by the lighthouse, the storm was coming, we were out of the direct path, but we had to get the fuck out fast, I lost my phone and Max's is dead. I panicked and just kept driving, we didn't come back….because…", Chloe paused.

"Roadblocks everywhere outside Arcadia, we basically camped out just outside town until it died down a little", Max added, hoping David wasn't going to pry further.

"Well i'll be damned", said David, "they said they were going to block the roads, but i've been too busy here organizing search and rescue missions….operations...attempts...and now I just...two more survivors, I have my daughter back, and her guardian angel."

"David..I…", Chloe started, _was Max right about him?_ Max just recoiled, she was nobody's angel.

"I'm sorry, I got caught up in the moment. I just...I love you, Chloe, I know i'm not the best or most tolerable person, but I try. I do look at you as my daughter, I...I...know I could never take William's place, I am not trying to. And i've done a lot of..less than….look, downright shitty, things, but I guess this disaster is my penance", David's manner of speaking was still too militaristic and middle American for Chloe, but she genuinely appreciated the sentiment.

"How did you make it, where were you when the storm hit?", Chloe asked.

"I was helping follow up a lead on a Blackwell teacher, classified, but that doesn't matter now, I suppose, Mark Jefferson was doing...some really sick shit, for lack of a better term, in a bunker under an old barn owned by the Prescotts".

"Sounds like a sick fuck", Chloe said, "no surprise _they_ were involved."

"The bastard tried to fight us, though, he...didn't make it out of there. I'm no judge, but, I saw what I saw. Thankfully that horrible place was literally a storm cellar, there is going to be aall kinds of issues with the Prescotts and Blackwell, i'm sure, but for now, it's on the back burner."

 _Thank you, God, thank you._

"How is the recovery going, Mr. Madsen?" Max asked, intentionally delaying the looming question.

 _Joyce._

"David, please, Max. It's not a total loss. By the shore...not so good, but further inland, we have a lot of survivors because it came on so quickly and mostly stayed on the seafront, I know the entire west coast got hit pretty hard, but here at least, it's bad, but I don't think Arcadia Bay is going down just yet."

"Not...a...total loss", Max repeated, it was all Max could say, then she threw out another delay and genuine question, "is Kate Marsh here, David? Was she here when it hit?"

"Marsh? Oh yes, she's here. She's been working her ass off, pardon my language, mostly foodservice, carting things around for the patients and volunteers here, she's been an incredible help to all of us. I feel horrible for her, for what she had to go through, but she has been nothing but a blessing here, people like that girl are rare, almost too pure for this world, or something. Reminds me of how safe I felt at church, as a boy...I just wish that-"

"Thank fucking God", Max cut in, "...pardon my language."

"It's fine, Max. I'm sure you've been through a lot, all of us have", David finished.

"What were you going to say, David, I cut you off, i'm sorry."

"I….don't know how to…"

Then Chloe finally spoke up.

"David, where is mom?"

David just held Chloe's gaze. His face betrayed no emotion. He just stood silently, looking into his stepdaughter's eyes. In this way, he said it before he actually said it. Chloe lost her balance and had to lean on a shelf of medical supplies next to her.

"Chloe….Joyce...made it through the storm….but….", David didn't know how to continue. Tears welled up in his eyes, now, something neither Max nor Chloe had ever seen.

"No….no...NO...God...mom..I...what...how…", Chloe sounded even more despaired to Max than she had when another version of her had asked for help to end her own life, now she had slid down the shelf and was sitting with her head in her hands, her beanie slipped off, revealing her blue hair, which her fingers were now tightly woven though, "...how….HOW, FUCKING TELL ME HOW DAVID, TELL ME NOW!"

"She was…..shot, Chloe. The day after….she was helping feed the….now-homeless, her, Kate Marsh, and some of the other local cooks and civilians volunteered….they were doing good work...and…-"

"AND WHAT, AND FUCKING WHAT DAVID?"

"Chloe, please", Max choked through her own tears, "please, please, please", she was clinging to Chloe now, her face buried in Chole's neck, her own tears running more down Chloe's neck than her own face, she didn't even know what she was asking Chloe for.

"MAX STOP, I WANT TO KNOW WHY DAVID IS SO CALM HERE, WHY DAVID, WHY, DID YOU MISS PLAYING TARGET PRACTICE, STRAY BULLET? SHE PLAY WITH ONE OF YOUR GUNS? LIKE ME? LIKE HOW I SHOULD HAVE GONE OUT?"

David looked lost on that, but disregarded it,

"...Chloe, you have to understand what it was like here, the first two days were hell. I loved Joyce. I loved her so much, Chloe, and I see so much of her in you, and I thought I lost you both", he was actually crying now, "Chloe your mother is a hero, there were riots, disorder, there still are, the military mostly put it down, but it was chaos, someone pulled a gun and demanded more food, two days ago. He grabbed Kate. He was threatening her….Joyce made...a move for the gun, it worked, but she got herself shot. She made it back here. She wanted to know where _you_ were, Chloe, I loved her and she loved me, I know that, but she asked for you. I told her that you must have panicked and ran, because there was no trace of you. And i'm so glad to see I wasn't wrong. I haven't had time to grieve. I haven't slept in three nights, this work is constant. And I know it's what she would have wanted. And now you are back."

"Mom...died….taking a bullet...for Kate….", Chloe was monotone, scary, drawn out words, "mom….took..a bullet…mom...got…."

"...Chloe", Max whimpered, "I loved her so much, Chloe, i'm so sorry, i'm so, so fucking sorry."

"...a bullet...shot...mom...took a….got shot...bullet"

"...Chloe?"

"No. No. NO. FUCK NO", without warning Chloe shot up, ripping her bullet necklace off, letting it clatter to the floor, Max tried to drag her back down, but she was too weak, Chloe shook her off, "hahahaha", Chloe's maniacal laughter was back again.

"Chloe please, PLEASE", Max pleaded.

"Chloe, calm down, please", David added.

"CALM DOWN, CHLOE? MY MOTHER IS DEAD AND THAT IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY? 'I'M SORRY, PLEASE CALM DOWN?'", Chloe was now screaming.

"Chloe everyone here has lost something, a lot, you don't have to tell me what it's-", David started,

"YOU TRY HAVING IT HAPPEN OVER, AND OVER, AND OVER, DAVID. MAX BAILS ON ME FOR YEARS. MY REAL FUCKING FATHER DIES, WHICH MAX OVER HERE FUCKING LET HAPPEN-"

"...what?", David.

"...", Max.

"RACHEL BAILS ON ME, IS FUCKING SOMEONE BEHIND MY BACK THEN GETS HERSELF KILLED BY A PRETENTIOUS PIECE OF SHIT, AND NOW I HAVE NO HOME, MOM IS DEAD AND ALL I'VE GOT ARE TWO MURDERERS, ONE SAVED ME INSTEAD, AND ONE IS JUST A GLORIFIED COP, I DON'T NEED YOU, I DON'T NEED ANYTHING, I SHOULD HAVE DIED."

"Chloe, I don't even know what you are talking about, please-" David started again.

Chloe was already storming out,

"CHLOE, YOU PROMISED ME, YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULDN'T DO THIS NO MATTER WHAT", Max screamed at her through her own tears.

A door slammed, a motor started, tires screeched against pavement. It was too late.

 _ **I told you. She was destined to do this. It's too late now.**_

"Max...I….what did I do wrong?"

"Absolutely nothing David. Absolutely fucking nothing."

"Where is she going?"

Max made some sound that was a combination of a sigh, a cry and a whimper.

"The lighthouse."

"What...why?"

"I'll explain later, right now I need your car."

"Can you drive?"

"I don't have a license, but yes."

David considered for a moment, "alright, just be careful."

"I'll try", Max said as he gave her the keys to the old car, holding her hand a moment longer than he should have.

"Max, bring my little girl back", tears in his eyes again.

Max quickly bent down to retrieve Chloe's necklace and hat, "I'm going to, and that _is_ a promise."


	6. Since We've Been Wrong

" **...THE HELL?", a relief worker had shouted as an old pickup truck came barreling across the hospital's parking lot. The drop gate at the entrance had been closed. The pickup had plowed through it, swerved off the road, then corrected and taken off towards town. The worker shouted towards the military stationed there, but a bunch of medics weren't going to stop their duty to chase down someone who probably broke in to steal a bag of morphine.** **It wouldn't have been the first time since this mess started.**

Officer Leone had left a few minutes before, and the worker immediately radioed his car, informing him. "Goddammit, Price. This shit again?", was all he had said aside from, "i'll look into it". The police presence was strong, but it was spread very thin right now. Then David Madsen's car came barreling through, not as fast as the pickup truck had been going, not as careless. It went by too fast for the worker to make out the driver, he assumed Madsen was on this himself, as some of those supplies had been stored in his tent and he had learned that David had...a temper, over the last few days. The worker picked up the radio again, "Jim, I think David's on it, his car just tore out of here."

"What _the hell_ is happening to this town?"

* * *

Max was scared. Possibly more scared than she had been in the dark room. More than the cliff. Chloe's erratic behavior had just cumulated into a total clusterfuck of confusion. A week ago, she would have let Chloe drive it off, toke up, whatever it was she did in these situations, but this behaviour pattern was new to Max, and she thought it was new to Chloe, too. Chloe had never been the model of stability, but this was getting over the top, even by Chloe Price standards. She understood, she did. She could only imagine the strain on her poor friend's mind. But this had to stop. For Chloe's own good. For herself. For David. For Joyce. For everyone.

She learned quickly that the battered old muscle car was not easy to drive, was more powerful and dangerous than the Toyota she learned on and steered horribly.. _Fucking hell Chloe, slow down, don't kill me on the fucking way to whatever it is you think you're going to find at the lighthouse._

By the time she made it to the road, Chloe's truck was already out of sight. Max tried to think of the fastest way to the lighthouse, maybe even beat her there. This car certainly could if there hadn't been so many damned curves. _By the diner. Shit._ She supposed that no longer mattered. She slammed the gas pedal down, the car gripped, spun the tires and then launched, kicking sideways slightly, throwing Max back in the seat, _Damn, David, you_ _ **do**_ _know what you're doing._

* * *

Chloe's mind was blank. Her vision became a tunnel. She wasn't even aware she had crashed a gate. Spun off the road. All she saw was the lighthouse. She didn't even know why she was going there. Because of a dream? What was she going to find? A deserted, battered lighthouse? Chloe wasn't actually thinking these things, at least not at a rational level. Her rationality had been left in the Red Cross tent with David. Or maybe on the cliff , days ago. Or maybe it was gone long before that. She was shaking violently. The truck plowed through some more debris, strewn on the road. There was no traffic, if there had been, she'd have wrecked already.

* * *

Max was tearing through the backroads of Arcadia Bay, though she had to slow down way ahead of corners.

 _Chloe, don't do something even more fucking stupid. Don't crash. If you get there first, don't fucking do something stupid, do anything but something stupid._

 _ **She's going to die again, Maxine. You know it. I know it.**_

 _Shut up, we're done with that._

 _ **Are we? And what do you think she's going to do if she even makes it up that cliff? I think we'd be better off checking the rocks at the bottom, you should be able to spot the blue hair pretty easy, no matter what kind of mess it is.**_

She shuddered.

 _LEAVE ME ALONE._

 _ **Just think of whatever is about to happen as closure, because you sure as hell aren't going to get any out of her as long as she's alive.**_

 _Someday i'm going to wake up and you're going to be gone. Out of my head._

 _ **Where has wishful thinking ever gotten us before, Maxine? Haven't we had this conversation before? Wowser.**_

* * *

Chloe only could have been a mile or two ahead at most, but she got to the base of the cliff first. She killed the engine, tore out of the truck and started sprinting up the trail. Faster than she knew she could move.

"RACHEL, RACHEL WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, I KNOW YOU'RE HERE", she was screaming an an empty forest, "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME, TO MOM, TO MAX? WHAT DID YOU MEAN?"

No answer. Silence, just a seaside breeze in pine trees. Chloe kept going up the trail, climbing over bent and broken trees and fallen boulders, she tore her jacket, but didn't even notice. Her hands were bleeding from pushing her weight over downed trees at a sprint. She fell several times, then shot right back up, never slowing down.

"RACHEL AMBER, YOU GET DOWN FROM WHEREVER THE FUCK YOU ARE WATCHING AND LAUGHING AT ME FROM AND FACE ME."

Still silence, as there should be, when a manic and now battered and bruised girl is running through the woods screaming out to a dead friend. Normal.

Chloe was beginning to cry again, she was nearing the top of the trail, she passed by the map on the overlook, and was heading up the final stretch. She got to the top and stopped. The lighthouse was broken in half. A boat had struck it and toppled it. She had already seen that it was damaged from a distance, but this, this was insane. She couldn't remember if it had been this way four days ago, when she stood here with Max, ready to accept her fate. She hadn't been lucid then, either. When was the last time she had been? When Rachel was alive? No. _That morning after we broke into Blackwell, with Max, that felt...right._

Her adrenaline was beginning to wear off. She could feel her bruised and scraped limbs, a gash in her arm where a rock had ripped through her jacket, her scraped hands, which she was now running through her sweaty hair, turning it purple in places. She was beginning to think of Joyce again. Of Max. Of everyone. She fell to her knees. Right to the muddy ground. And then her whole body followed.

* * *

"Chloe, please get up."

"..Max...I", she started.

"Wrong again, Christ, do I really sound that much like her?", Rachel Amber asked, mock offended.

"Rachel? How? Am I dead? Please tell me i'm dead."

"Chloe, get your ungrateful ass up. You look horrible."

Chloe opened her eyes, Arcadia Bay was still broken. She hadn't left where she was, like she had on the beach. She looked up. Rachel was standing above her.

"Come on, Chloe. I don't have forever….well, actually…..but you don't."

"Forever is a long time, Rachel."

"Tell me about it."

* * *

Max had passed the diner, it hadn't exploded like it had in the other timeline, but it wasn't in good shape. There wasn't much left of it at all. Decorative sheet metal wasn't meant to withstand a vortex. It bothered her less than she thought it would. She hadn't taken much notice of it, leaving Arcadia Bay all those days ago, she had kept her head down. She saw Warren's car. Things missing from the skyline. That was about it. Chloe had stopped, touched her shoulder, reassuringly. She needed that touch now. More than ever before. The sky was clouding over again, she didn't like it at all. Too many bad memories.

By the time she got to the parking area of the trail, it was starting to rain. She immediately saw Chloe's old pickup, stopped, headlights still on, door open. _But no Chloe. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

She killed the engine of the muscle car and got out, pulling Chloe's beanie on. It was freezing and now it was raining. She began her run up the trail. The downed trees and crashed rocks more of a challenge for her smaller body, and she also wasn't pumping as much adrenaline as Chloe had been, five or ten minutes earlier. _I don't think anyone does, her blood is pure gasoline._

She stumbled and ran up the trail, she wished Chloe had left something behind, something to prove this was where she had run to, but Max had the only things she could have dropped, Max had, Chloe's hat on her own head and her necklace in her pocket. The truck at the bottom would have to be enough. She powered up the hill, passing the overlook, not bothering to stop to see what kind of mess Arcadia had become from a distance, she started the final stretch to the lighthouse, _where this started,_ _ **and could have ended.**_ She stopped in her tracks, she could see a body crumbled to the muddy ground at the top. _Oh no, Chloe, no. No._

She moved with a speed she didn't know possible to her fallen friend. Chloe looked terrible. She was covered in mud, she was soaking wet with sweat and rain, her hair plastered to her forehead, with... _blood?_ in it. Her jacket and jeans were torn up, she was bleeding badly from her not tattooed arm, her hands were bloody. _Jesus Christ, Chloe._ Max had the horrible thought that Chloe finally looked as broken as she was.

"Chloe, CHLOE", Max shook her. She wouldn't wake up, "oh God, Chloe, don't do this to me, do not fucking do this to me."

Max felt her pulse, _weak. Too weak. What the hell happened to you? A stroke or something?_

"CHLOE, PLEASE WAKE UP, PLEASE, I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, DO NOT LEAVE ME HERE. DON'T THINK YOU CAN JUST WALK OFF THIS EARTH AND NOT TAKE ME WITH YOU, PRICE. DON'T FUCKING DO THIS TO ME."

Max turned Chloe's head towards her, _she's so beautiful. So beautiful. She doesn't even know how beautiful she is._

Max kissed her, deeply, praying for a response.

* * *

Chloe sat on the bench, next to Rachel.

"Don't suppose you have a smoke?", she asked, muttered really.

"Chloe, can you ever take anything seriously?"

"Obviously, otherwise I wouldn't be….here, are we still "here", like, my "here", it doesn't look like your "here"."

"We're somewhere between, which is why this needs to be fast. Why did you come back here, Chloe, what were you hoping to find?", Rachel asked sadly.

"You know damn well. You can't just say something like you did to me and expect me to forget it."

"Of course. My mistake, actually."

"So are you going to tell me what that was about? What this is? What you actually are?"

"I can't tell you everything, Chloe, I don't have all the answers. I'm not a goddess, i'm just a girl, like you."

Chloe winced.

"But I can tell you what that thing I said was about, if you are actually going to help yourself after this."

"What are you talking about?", Chloe asked.

Rachel didn't know if Chloe was playing dumb, or if she just hadn't dealt with Chloe Price in a long time, "This woe is me, I should have died, blaming everyone, blaming yourself, it needs to stop, Chloe. I understand grieving. And I know you….better than you think I do, but you need to dial it back."

"And how am I supposed to do that? It's just gut punch after fucking gut punch, Rachel."

"I understand. Believe me, Chloe, I do. And so does David. And so does Max. Everything isn't lost, Chloe."

"Mom….mom is…", Chloe couldn't finish that sentence.

"I know."

"Of course, you would."

"Chloe, you have to listen to me carefully. You aren't going to remember all of this when you go back."

"I'm listening Rachel", Chloe said, a minor tone of annoyance in her voice.

"You died, Chloe."

Chloe began to laugh, "no fucking shit."

"No, Chloe, I mean you actually died. In the bathroom at Blackwell. For good. You were….here with...me for….a little while", Rachel suddenly sounded less confident, like she didn't know how to continue.

"...What? Rachel...I-", Chloe was lost.

"Remember I said you needed a broader perspective? This is where that comes in. You died Chloe. You were here...or…"there", and you were miserable. You were miserable, Chloe. So miserable. So sad. All you did was talk about Max, Joyce and William. All the time. I was hoping you would be happy to see me, and you were, but i'd already….well, Frank, you know...and you...all you were sorry for was never having made up with Max, once you saw me again. Chloe, do you know why you recognized that photo. The one that started this? Don't even tell me you saw it in the bathroom, because it was in the corner, with Max."

"I...I..it looks like the ones in my tattoo."

"And why do you think that is, Chloe?"

"I...no….no fucking way, Rachel, that is impossible."

"Is it, really? You know Max could somehow alter time and reality, this is where your belief breaks?", Rachel said flatly.

"But...didn't you say you let me...I…", Chloe trailed off again, she felt like her mind had finally broken. Just broken. Shattered.

"I died first, and I was the most closely linked to you, at the time. With Max AWOL. I had a say. And I couldn't stand seeing you so fucking miserable, though I thought letting you change it...having that last week...would help that. And all you've been is...well, miserable. Though, I understand. I did not count on Max not playing by the rules. Nobody did. There _are_ rules, Chloe. But I also don't blame her. How could I? I love you too. But there is nothing in the fucking world that compares to deeply that girl cares for you, Chloe. Nothing."

"So...Max's powers, did I…"

"That's a question for another time. You can't stay here much longer, Chloe. Or you won't be going back at all. I hope this has given you some insight. I truly do. I know you have more questions than answers, I do, and you aren't even going to remember a lot of this, there _are_ rules, but go back, Chloe. If not for me, or yourself, for Max. Time doesn't flow the same way here as it does "in your 'here'", Max should be finding your body right about…..a couple minutes ago."

"My…..body...Rachel, WHAT?", she looked over.

Again, Rachel was gone.

 _I fucking hate when she does that._

* * *

Max held Chloe to her, she couldn't feel her breathing, Max was crying harder than she thought she ever had. She knew Chloe was gone. She was getting cold. She had never felt more alone. Her other voice hadn't intruded. _This was what you wanted, you cunt._

She couldn't let go of her friend's body, she couldn't. She knew she should have been dragging her down the hill. getting her to the hospital, trying…something, anything, but she couldn't will herself to move. She wouldn't accept it.

She had tried to rewind. It didn't work. The familiar feeling of time becoming fluid, the headrush, it didn't come. For the first time in a while, she regret not having the power.

"Chloe. I'm so sorry. I don't even know how this happened. Was it just too much for you? It was too much for me too, I...i'm so fucking sorry. I love you. I love you so much. More than you could or ever will know. "

Max felt around in Chloe's pockets. She found what she was looking for. She flicked the switchblade open with one hand, her other arm still wrapped around Chloe. She looked at it.

"I'm coming after you."

She leaned to kiss Chloe, one last time, before she joined her.

Chloe coughed into her mouth.

Max recoiled, dropping the knife. Chloe coughed some more, then her eyes opened. Focused. On Max's own eyes.

"Hey, Prince Charming."

"...Chloe? CHLOE? HOW? YOU WERE...you...I….oh my god", she embraced Chloe even harder.

"...I can't...breathe…Prince...Charming.."

"Deal with it, i'm never letting go."

"Max...seriously...loosen it up a little."

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. I thought I lost you. I thought...I thought…"

"Not yet. It'll take more than…", Chloe realized that while she felt better, although she felt her injuries and tiredness was overwhelming her, she couldn't quite recall what had happened, _Rachel...she said...something…,_ "...whatever happened, to kill Chloe Price."

They made their way down the trail, in the rain, slowly. Chloe stole her hat back, but had to lean on Max most of the way. She was in no shape to drive, so they took David's car back to the hospital.


	7. Roses In The Hospital

**There had been explaining to do to David, Max had told a lot of half truths and white lies, to avoid him thinking that they both needed to be put in the one section of the hospital that wasn't packed at the moment, the psychiatric ward. Mostly, he was just glad that Chloe was as okay as she could be considering the circumstances. He'd also thanked Max again, and again for looking out for her. Max still didn't want to take praise. Of any kind. But her subconscious wasn't yelling at her anymore, for now at least.**

Chloe had been admitted, much to her protest, and David's insistence. Max thought it was probably a good idea, as much as she hated being away from Chloe, even for a short time. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness since they left the cliff, and she was banged up pretty bad _, and she actually stopped breathing for a few minutes…._ Max didn't want to think about that. The inside of the hospital wasn't as crowded as it was on the outside, as Arcadia wasn't _that_ huge of a population, and a lot of the more serious stuff was being handled by the experts the Red Cross had brought in, plus a lot of people were staying in the tents surrounding the hospital temporarily _, they have no homes now, they...no_. Max didn't want to think about that either, right now. All that mattered was Chloe was safe. That was enough right now.

* * *

Max had finally been able to charge her phone, in the hospital lobby and was now staring at it, unable to make the call she desperately needed to make. She had a fuckload of texts and missed calls she couldn't bring herself to read. More than could have been just her parents, but….

 _What if Seattle was hit just as hard...what if...what if…._

"Max?", a small voice behind her, Max knew that voice.

Max turned, "Kate!", Kate ran the distance between them and hugged her.

"Max..I heard you were back, but I didn't know if it was true, there's a lot of rumours about who made it and who didn't, I have been praying for you every day, you and Chloe both, is she really here too?"

"Yes, Kate. We're...well, not alright, but we're here."

"Where is Chloe? Is she...okay?"

"She had a breakdown, i'm waiting to see her, I don't know how well you know her, but she took off right after we got here, she ran off into the woods….and", Max didn't really know what had actually happened, "she managed to bang herself up pretty bad, like, she didn't climb over some downed trees, she plowed right through them, when I got there she had…...blacked out."

"That sounds awful...and...like Chloe. I've met her a few times. Would you ever believe she tried to steal the money out of the church's collection box last Christmas eve?"

"...yes, yes I would", it was horrible, but she couldn't help but smile, she thought back to the envelope in Wells' office…. _oh fuck, does Chloe still have that?_ , "that's definitely my Chloe."

"Her mom saved me, she…"

"I know, Kate, David told me. Joyce was a brave woman. A very brave woman. She'd be proud of what you're doing here, trust me", Max teared up again.

"I'm so sorry, Max, I know you must have been close to her. I hope Chloe doesn't hate me, I understand if she does, I was praying so hard, I thought it was my time for sure, and Joyce just…"

"I know, Kate, I know. Two close calls in a week, that seems to be the new normal."

"Max, things will get better, somehow, I know they will. We're going to rebuild Arcadia, better than it was before, now with that….that...bastard", the minor swear word was obviously hard for Kate, _she really is too good for this world,_ "gone and the Prescotts were dragged into it, they knew Max, they knew what Jefferson was doing, gave him money, that horrible room, that-"

"Kate...I know, I know all about it", she didn't know if the Prescotts were fully aware of what was going on, but this would be a blow to them, regardless, Max didn't want to think about that now, about Jefferson, "Kate...we are sure Jefferson is gone, right?"

"David says he is, I got more details than I wanted, he must be burning hell now….forgive me...i'm not one to judge... I just…"

"Kate, I hope he is, don't worry about it."

"Anyway, I just wanted to see you, make sure you were really here, I hope I can see Chloe soon. I may not agree with her...choices...but I do like her, and I know she is troubled for a reason, whatever that may be", Kate, poor, pure, forgiving, Kate.

"You have noooo idea. But thank you Kate, i'm sure she will be happy to see you, I think anything or anyone that was here before is a comfort now", _small comforts_.

"You were about to make a call right? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude", Kate apologized.

"It's fine Kate, actually, would you mind staying here with me, while I do this? I might need some moral support."

"Well, I do have to get back to work, but with all you've done for me? Of course, Max."

Max cringed at that, she was never going to be able to take a compliment again. She sighed, and dialed her home, in Seattle.

"Hey...mom."

"MAX? OH MY GOD, RYAN, IT'S MAX, SHE'S OKAY", Max had to hold the phone away from her ear as Vanessa Caulfield shouted, Kate looked at her questioningly, Max just shrugged.

* * *

"Mom, i'm fine….I know…..I know…..I'm so sorry, I know I should have called right after….I know it's been days….mom, you have no idea how bad it is here I didn't even have my phone until now….."

"We were going to come down there, but the interstates are still shut down, and going the long way would have put us there...tomorrow. I'm so glad you are okay, Maxine, my baby. I'm so so glad. I can't..-"

"Mom, are you and dad okay?"

"We're fine, honey. You're okay! We haven't slept or eaten in days, really. We were so worried, so so worried, we saw the damage on the news and you were on the list of missing Blackwell students and…"

"I was with Chloe, we were out of the direct path of the storm, we kind of got...separated from the town, for a while, we just got back in this morning", Max still really had no explanation for the last several days.

"..Ch...Chloe? She's? Oh my god, i'm so glad. You two are friends again? You're together?", Vanessa hadn't really had time to think about Chloe, plus it had been five, long years.

 _I think we're more than friends, actually, but..._

"At the moment i'm with another friend, Kate, we're holed up at the hospital, it's basically _become_ the town here. I'm okay, Chloe got hurt, she's alright though."

"During the storm? That was days ago, honey, is she-"

"No, earlier today...mom..it's...a long story."

"...alright, you'll have to tell me sometime, when you can get up here again."

 _Yeah...not a lot of chance on that happening_

"Yeah, well, I don't think Blackwell is going to be reopening any time soon, so that might be soon. Mom how bad was the storm there?"

"It was bad, Max, i'm not going to lie. It was terrifying, but it was a fraction of what Arcadia got. I mean, there is damage, but we're far enough in that we didn't get hit too hard, a few broken windows, a tree fell on my car. That's it. Towards the coast it was worse…."

Max didn't hear the rest, she had that feeling again. That guilt.

"...i'm just glad you and dad are alright. I promise I will stay in contact now. I'm so sorry for not calling sooner."

"Max, as long as you are alright, it's okay, we understand, we can't even imagine what you had to deal with down there", Vanessa said, seriously.

 _No, you can't._

"I need to go mom, i'm sorry, I need to check on Chloe, and Kate has to get back to work, plus the lobby is getting crowded", it was, doctors, medics, starting to file through for their break, or going back to their posts.

"We love you, Maxine, please be careful out there, remember you are welcome to come home any time, once you can."

"Thanks mom, I love you too. Tell dad the same."

"You really waited until now to call them?", Kate asked.

"I didn't really have a choice Kate, I can't plug my phone into a tree."

Kate laughed, "it's alright Max, I can't even imagine how hard this was on you, or on Chloe."

 _There's that I can't imagine thing again_

"I have to get back to the cafeteria, Max, i'm sorry, i'm so glad your parents are okay. And you're here. Oh, and Max?"

"Yes, Kate?"

"There is a chapel here, keep Chloe away from the collection box."

"I will, Kate", Max laughed.

Kate vanished down a hallway and Max was left alone for a moment. She was scared she was going to be alone with her thoughts, but a nurse came out and told her that she could come back and see Chloe now.

* * *

"Ow, fuck, man, that hurt", Chloe griped at the young doctor stitching her arm.

He sighed and finished his work. She screamed when he cleaned the scrapes on her hands, she let out a constant stream of profanity when he cleaned the gash on her upper left arm, which was actually quite deep, she'd have a nice scar, she had caught the jagged edge of something solid on her way up to the lighthouse, and then again when he applied a topical anesthetic, now this.

Max couldn't help but smile. Chloe could have her entire arm tattooed, but this reduced her to a child. She had never liked doctors, Max remembered, but this...this was actually cute. And cute was something Max needed after what had happened earlier.

"I'm glad my pain amuses you, Prince Charming", Chloe shot across to Max, catching her smile. Chloe was smiling herself, wincing occasionally, though.

Chloe was sitting on an exam table while the doctor worked. Max was sitting in a chair by the door, watching, seeing a much younger Chloe. A much more innocent one. Scared of doctors, and she could almost feel William in the room, making a crack about the swear jar. And it warmed Max's heart, despite the fact that Chloe was injured. It could have been so much worse though. _So_ much worse.

"Okay, we're done", the doctor said, "be careful with the stitches, I bandaged you up double, because i've heard a lot about you from Madsen."

Chloe's devilish grin returned.

"What do I owe you, I have no insurance or any shit like that."

 _...where_ _ **is**_ _Wells' money, Chloe,_ Max thought.

"Miss Price, your stepfather has done so much for us, organizing, planning, leading, he stepped up so much. This is the least I can do for him. It's on the house. _This one_. Don't get yourself too messed up, there are only so many supplies here. Plus legal matters", he said in that universal monotone doctor voice.

"Gotcha, no moshpits for a couple days."

Max groaned with the doctor.

* * *

They were sitting on the curb outside the lobby. Chloe wasn't even supposed to be out of her room _, thanks David for putting me on a 24 hour watch._ The rain had stopped. It was the end of the sunset. The sky a very dark blue. The light was mostly from the hospital behind them, the floodlights and emergency stations on the other side of the building. Chloe had lit a cigarette and was just kind of staring into space.

"Chloe?"

"Hmm?"

"What actually happened up there?"

"Max, I don't remember all of it, I really don't, fragments, like a dream, but if my vitals hit the brakes, like you said, I guess it wasn't. All I know is, when I woke up I remembered some things, and I felt a lot less guilty, and I felt that you should feel a lot less guilty too, I talked to...Rachel...again, but it's blurry. She said a lot of things, but now it's like, you remember that scene in Twin Peaks?"

"Where Laura Palmer is talking backwards in Cooper's dream? Of Course", Max replied without a second thought.

"Nerd points Max. So many nerd points. Anyway, it's like that, though I know it wasn't like that at the time, if that makes any kind of fucking sense, probably not, the whole thing is hella weird."

"Chloe, I believe you saw something, and i'm just glad that you are feeling a little better. You know i'm right here, and i'm always going to be. I am guilty though, no changing that", Max said sadly.

"Not as much as you might think, Max."

"Chloe, I-"

"Remember when you asked me if I trust you, Max?"

"Yes, you hesitated."

"And I was a fucking idiot, of course I trust you. More than anyone. I need you to trust me on this one, okay?"

"Alright, Chloe. I'm still not going to feel any different about, all of this", she gestured to the scene around them, the remnants of a disaster, tents, stations, humvees, ambulances.

"And that is okay, Max. I understand. And i'm right here, no more taking off. I promise", Chloe said, earnestly.

"You've said that before…"

"I swear then, Max."

"Alright, Chloe."

"I love you Max, I really, really do. You have no idea."

"What about Rachel? And yeah, I do."

"Rachel was...she was something Max, but she was never you, she could never be you. She said it herself, the first time I talked to her. I was drawn to her because you weren't here. I thought I loved her, I did, but not like I thought. I didn't go back up there to see her because I love her still, or something, I wanted an answer, and I got it...I...think, whatever I got, it slapped me into shape a bit, even if I can't explain it. I can't promise I won't have more meltdowns anymore than you can, but i'm going to try hella fucking hard."

"So...are we….like….gay?", Max asked, blushing.

"No, you're gay, i'm a punk ghost, remember? Doesn't apply."

"That is so not fair, i'm serious Chloe, i'm confused. This is my first….feelings...like that...I thought I liked boys, but...I just want to kiss you and hug you and….and…" she was blushing so hard, Chloe thought it was adorable.

"I thought I did too, once, twice...okay a few times. But, i'm not confused, Max. I have no desire for anyone, but you. I don't think I ever really did. If I never saw anyone else again, if we just took off, like we were going to originally, i'd be perfectly fine with that, in a perfect world."

"I...feel the same way, Chloe."

"Then yes, I guess you are hella gay, Max. But you know what, it doesn't matter, labels don't matter, it just, is what it is."

Chloe put her arm around Max and pulled her closer, for warmth, and to feel the smaller girl against her. She turned to look Max in the eyes.

"You want to kiss me again? And here I thought that was reserved for bringing me back to life."

"You are such a dork, Chloe."

"So shut me up, hippie."

Max did, Max kissed her, passionately. The fact that Chloe tasted like a stale ashtray didn't even bother her. Max could stay in this moment forever.

"What will my parents think…", Max started after Chloe had pulled away, "...shit", it was too late, she already brought up the "P" word.

"Max, it's alright. I've been wondering why you hadn't mentioned them already, well I kinda knew, and thank you, anyway. But...,you…..and Rachel said something about me carrying on for Joyce. And David isn't nearly as bad as I used to think….just...promise me something, Max."

"Anything, Chloe."

"Never make me like, your little secret, on the side, if we're really doing this….after Rachel and everything...I just….", Chloe sounded sad. Hurt.

"Chloe Price, you will never be a secret. Ever. I don't give a fuck what anyone has to say about you, me, or us. I'm proud of you", Max said sincerely.

"...I..thank you, Max. You have no idea how much that means."

"You never have to thank me for that….can I ask you something else?"

"Of course."

"You aren't mad at Kate, right? David is right, she _is_ too good for this world. I just, I understand if you hate her, but she's been through just as much as we have."

"Max, I know Kate, somewhat, it's not her fault that what happened, happened. Of course not. Just don't leave me for her", Chloe said, Max couldn't tell if she was serious or not.

"Chloe, it's not like that, i'm only in love with you, and besides-"

"Jesus freak to the Max, no pun intended", Chloe finished, "...okay, a little pun intended"

"God, Chloe", Max couldn't believe Chloe could make jokes at a time like this….well okay, yes she could, "so where am I supposed to go tonight, if you're stuck here. The truck is still by the lighthouse."

"You're sleeping with me, here, obviously."

"...is that even allowed? And...David."

"Max, how could you possibly not know I don't give a flying fuck about the rules by now?"

"You're right", Max was thankful she wouldn't be spending the night alone, even if it was going to be awkward and uncomfortable.


	8. Changes

**Max was in the Two Whales Diner. As it had been before the storm. A perfect recreation of the morning she had met Chloe for breakfast. Saw Joyce for the first time in five years. She sat in the booth, but Joyce didn't come. She saw herself walk around from behind the counter and calmly take a seat across from her. Nobody in the diner took any notice of this strange occurrence.**

"What the hell is this, how am I here again? The Diner was destroyed, and why are you here, you got what you wanted….Chloe...", Max said, a tinge of desperation in her voice.

"Is fine, after all. You...we, never learn. We're here because you want to be. I'm here because you need me. I don't want to be here anymore than you do", the other Max said back, gazing out the window at Arcadia Bay, an intact Arcadia Bay, "or...perhaps, you do want to be here."

"What? You're talking in circles now."

"Maybe you like being here, I mean, look", the other Max gestured to the window, "everything perfect. Everything the same. The way it was before. The way it should still be."

"This is not the way everything should be, all this is, is a memory, that you are trying to use against me."

"Ah, of course, your precious punk isn't here. But is this a memory, or am I showing you what it would have been like, had we done what we should have?", the other Max asked, there was no sinister tone to this question, and that unsettled Max even more.

"I….no, that's bullshit, and you know it. If you are really me, you know that as well as I do. And you would never talk about Chloe the way you do."

"Or, i'm here to make you face reality. It's not so easy when we can't bend it to our will, is it, Maxine?"

"Life isn't supposed to be easy. If i've learned anything, it's that. Even you can't argue that."

"Oh, no, I can't argue that. I could, however, argue that you already knew that, and that all you've really learned is how to throw everyone and everything under the bus to save your precious junkie. I mean, look, really look, Maxine, it's not like you have a choice, anyway", the other Max said flippantly.

Max looked out the window, Alyssa was at the bus stop, she could faintly see the back of Frank's RV, parked next to the building. She looked around the diner, seeing Justin and Trevor arguing a few booths down.

"They're alive, Maxine. They're alive in my Arcadia, because I did what I was supposed to do, I wasn't a fucking coward, like you. Boohoo, I have to face the big, scary world alone, like you had been for five years when you couldn't be bothered to pick up the fucking phone."

"More bullshit. It never stops with you. I know damn well I wouldn't be so calm if….", Max trailed off.

"Have you considered that i've made my peace? That I am not left with the terrible burden that you are?"

"No, because I would never be okay again, and I know that for a fact."

"Okay, so maybe i'm just our subconscious. This is what could have been, and you know it. And now you can't even go back. We've been brought back to pathetic human level. Though, maybe if we had let her die up there on the cliff, or slit her wrists, for that matter, maybe things would change somehow. Who knows? What if? Right?", the other Max's tone was still flippant, disinterested, every time she spoke, Max got a chill.

"Everything wasn't lost, maybe Arcadia…."

"What, Maxine? Well, I already know what you are going to say, but please, enlighten me."

"...maybe Arcadia needed to be purged. You were in the dark room, you know what the Prescotts are capable of. You know what was happening here."

"And maybe you can keep telling yourself that, so you can sleep at night….when you actually can sleep. I'm sure Joyce was worth it. Warren, Alyssa, Justin, Trevor, Brooke, Dana, Victoria...hell, even Frank. I could go on, Maxine, i'm sure all of them would agree with that, if they weren't rotting in the ground...or...wherever the storm threw what was left of them to", her tone was becoming more sinister again.

"Fuck you", Max could feel her nose starting to bleed again.

"I'm just going to show you something well, two things, actually", the other Max rooted around in her camera bag. She slid a polaroid, face down, across the table. On top of it she placed Chloe's bullet necklace.

"Where the fuck did you get that necklace? I have it...I-"

"Well, then fucking duh. Look at the photo, Maxine."

"I'm not touching that. No. Fuck you and your tricks."

"Funny, because all 'my' tricks are pulled from your sleeve. Just look at the fucking picture. Christ."

"Are we done here, if I do?", Max asked, her tone more annoyed than sad, at this point.

"There is nothing stopping you from getting up and leaving now, nor was there at any point during this conversation, Maxine. But I know us. Our curiosity. You will look at it."

Max sighed. Some blood ran into her mouth. She knew the other version of herself was right. _I hate how fucking nosy I am._

"Put the necklace away, I don't want to see that here."

"Anything for us, Maxine", she picked it up and returned it to the bag at her side.

Max slid the photo off the table, into her hand. Still not turning it over and actually looking at it.

"Any time today."

"Shut up", she turned it over, slowly. She just stared. She had no words.

The other version of herself smiled.

"What the hell is this? No. Fuck no. This never happened. And who the fuck would take a picture like this?", now her tone was somber, the annoyance had faded into fear, and fear to despair.

It was a photo of a grave.

 _ **Chloe Elizabeth Price**_

 _ **March 11, 1994 - October 7, 2013**_

"No. Fuck this. Fuck you. Get the fuck out of my head, leave me the fuck alone, you...you cunt. This never happened. This will never happen."

"Maxine, everyone dies someday, you should know that better than anyone."

"JUST FUCKING GO, LEAVE ME ALONE", her nose was gushing blood like a faucet now.

The other Max took the photo back, placing it in her bag.

"Food for thought, that's all. ' _Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans'_ , or something like that."

"That line...I...no. NO. Get out of my head. GET OUT. GET OUT. GET OUT-"

The other Max Caulfield just smiled.

* * *

"NO….GET….OUT….FUCK…...NO…."

"Max?", Chloe asked groggily, waking up from her own nightmare.

"...YOU...NOT….ME….GET.."

Chloe tried to turn over in the hospital bed, but Max was clinging to her too hard, and shaking violently... _is her nose bleeding again?...SHIT_ , she couldn't move her left arm, Max was crushing against the stitches, causing tremendous pain, she barely noticed though.

"MAX, WAKE UP. WAKE UP. IT'S ALRIGHT, I'M RIGHT HERE."

Max let out a horrible sound, somewhere between a snore and a scream and then her eyes shot open, "...Chloe?", she asked in a tiny voice, "...oh God...Chloe, it's bad, it's so bad, it's…"

"Max, calm down, please, you're okay, i'm okay, i'm right here", she let Max cling to her for dear life, despite the pain radiating from her arm, "shh, it's okay, it's okay Max, I promise. I'm right here."

"Chloe", Max gasped, unable to catch her breath, "...saw…..your….grave...I."

Chloe trembled slightly, but had to stay calm, for Max and for herself.

"Max, i'm right here, it was just a bad dream, I have them too. I'm not dead. And I won't be for a long, long time if I have any say in it. Your nose...Max, let me…", she broke her arm free and reached for the cheap tissues on the bedside table, she dabbed at Max's nose.

Max was crying again, it was mixing with the blood, she had already buried her face in Chloe's chest, Chloe gave up. It's not like the same shirt she'd been wearing for almost a week could possibly get any more fucked up anyway, it already had her own bloodstains on it, was torn up in places, and-... _shit,we really need to get our clothes and shit, or...whatever is left of them._

Max finally looked up at Chloe, after what seemed like forever. Chloe wiped the remaining blood from her nose, and much more gently, the lingering tears from her eyes. Max was still just...staring at her, she put her hand to Chloe's face.

"Uh...Max, what is this, you are freaking me out a little…"

"Just making sure you're real. That you're here", Max said, sadly.

"I'm here alright, and I think you tore my stitches, so I don't need you to pinch me to make sure i'm awake, because _fuck_ that hurt."

"...Oh...God, i'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Chloe hated her own sense of humor, sometimes...rarely…very rarely...right now she did, though.

"Max, not really, it's fine. I was kidding...i'm...i'm sorry."

"It's okay. You're okay? Are you sure, I-", Max was pleading, desperate.

"Max. Stop worrying. I'm fine. You had a nightmare. And must have been a bad one, because your nose started doing it's thing again. But it's alright. I get them too, believe me."

"...have you...ever seen my...g..gra...gra-", Max was stuttering again, Chloe was scared she'd start crying uncontrollably, again.

"Max, if you don't mind, I really don't want to unload what goes on in my head on you, _nobody_ deserves that shit, especially not you, if you want to talk, though, i'm right here."

"No, I want to forget it, I just need...this", she settled back next to Chloe, her face in the crook of Chloe's neck, comforted again by that smell of cigarettes and cheap deodorant.

"And i'm sure your hand is on my tits by accident", Chloe couldn't resist, _dammit, Price, stop making jokes._

"What tits...you're….you're...a girl?", Max asked, her voice muffled by Chloe's neck.

"Max, you are so lucky my arm hurts like hell right now, and that I love you, because anyone else would be getting punched in the ribs."

"I love you too, Chloe", Max said sleepily, she was already drifting back to sleep.

Chloe puffed on the e-cig she had snatched from someone's desk, earlier, the nicotine patch they gave her for the night wasn't doing shit. _I have to quit, I really, really do._

* * *

Kate had finished her shift, and returned to the room that she'd been calling home since her close call on the roof of Blackwell's dorms, it actually comforted her now, she came to find. It was still the same, filled with cards, her drawings, her crucifixes, even if everything else had….changed, this remained the same as it was before. She was dead tired. She said her nightly prayer and immediately went to bed. She found she couldn't sleep, though. She felt like she had forgotten something.

 _I was going to check on Chloe. Make sure she's really alright. What room was it again? Ugh, Lord, please, help me remember….237, that was it._

She got up and slipped her shoes back on. She quietly exited the room, feeling like she had to be extra quiet because it was late into the night. She passed the nurses station and pushed the elevator call button. To her surprise, a familiar face greeted her when the doors opened.

"...Vic...toria?"

"KATE?", Victoria exclaimed, sounding genuinely happy to see her, she stepped out of the elevator, it closed behind her, cutting off any immediate escape.

"...I...what...how…"

"I've been here since the day after the storm, Kate. You have no idea how happy I am so see you, God."

"...you are...happy to...see... _me_?", Kate was forgiving, extremely forgiving, but this caught her tired mind off guard.

"...well. Yeah. I haven't seen many people I know since...yeah. And I heard you were still here and safe but I hadn't seen you, I heard you were working in the cafeteria, but I haven't been eating much. And I sleep at really odd hours, as you can probably see. I was actually on my way down to the lobby, I usually go for a walk at night, when I can't sleep. I never expected to see you. Are you...okay...Kate...i'm...look...i'm genuinely so fucking sorry...for everything...I don't...expect you to believe me or forgive me, why would you, I just...it got out of control….I never meant for what happened to happen...I got so caught up in my...old...life...that I just...forgot how to be a person", this was the most Victoria had ever talked to Kate, outside the occasional insult or _mostly_ empty threat.

"Victoria...I…-"

"It's okay, Kate, you don't have to say anything. Really. I just...wanted you to know. I really am glad you are alright. I never meant to be such a bitch."

"Victoria, who else have you seen?"

"Next to no one, really, some random kids from Blackwell and town, I haven't really seen anyone I know...but i'm trying to stay...positive...", Victoria, for the first time Kate had ever seen, seemed legitimately distressed.

"Max and Chloe are here, Victoria."

"...what? How? Max Caulfield? And Chloe...that girl with blue hair she was with last week? Nathan knew her somehow..something about money or...I guess that doesn't really...matter...Nathan is..."

"Victoria, I know. I'm sorry. I really am. David...Mr. Madsen, told us the entire story about Mr. Jefferson" _fuck him, fuck him, fuck him and fuck Nathan too...i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm trying, Lord._

Victoria wiped something that might have been a tear away.

"It's not your fault, Kate. I have a lot more to be sorry for. Look, I didn't mean to hold you up if you were going somewhere, I just..haven't really talked to anyone in a while", Victoria said, sadly.

"I was just going to check on Chloe, she had some kind of mental breakdown and then she got hurt in the woods, I don't really know how, Max said she blacked out and got pretty beat up somehow."

"They're here? Max and Chloe are here?"

"Chloe is, I assume Max is in 'Tent City' somewhere, I talked to her earlier, I haven't seen Chloe in...a while", Tent City was what the staff and volunteers had started to call the mess of Red Cross and FEMA tents and stations outside.

"...would you mind if...I maybe...came with you? I mean, it's okay if you don't want the company, I understand, I just…-" Victoria was lost for words.

"Do you want the company, Victoria?" Kate asked, earnestly.

"...well...yeah...it's been kind of...really, dull and really...I haven't been alone in...a while and-"

"Victoria, you can come with me, just don't wake Chloe up, if she's asleep", Kate, despite herself, kind of hoped she would be, she wasn't sure how Chloe was going to take seeing her after what had happened.

Victoria pushed the call button and they waited and for the elevator, the silence between them wasn't awkward, at least not as much as Kate had thought it would be.

When they got to the right floor, Victoria had a hard time keeping up with even an overtired Kate, Kate simply knew the layout here too well. Way too well. Victoria felt a pang of guilt. Before she could say something, Kate had stopped.

"Alright, we're here. Victoria, uh, I don't know what's about to happen, Joyce...Chloe's mother, Mr. Madsen's wife, she….", Kate didn't know how to explain this without breaking down into crying or prayer...or both.

Victoria filled in the missing words.

"That was _you?_ Oh my god, Kate, I had no idea. Holy shit. And I...put you here...to begin with and then that happened, God."

"How do you know what happened?", Kate asked, genuinely curious.

"Uh...Kate, David, against all of our expectations, has become something of a legend around here, I didn't even know Chloe was his stepdaughter, but word of something like what happened to his wife...that travels quick in...well, a hospital, I listen a lot, I mean, I haven't really had anyone to talk to."

"...I suppose so. So, I don't know how this is going to go, if she is awake, God help me."

"I'll back you up, I owe you, big time."

"...I...thank you, Victoria, but what happened happened, only God can help me with this."

"Uh...right. I'm just saying", Victoria added.

Kate opened the door and entered the room, as quietly as she could. Victoria did her best to follow suit. The sight that greeted them was...not what either of them had expected. A ripped up leather jacket was strewn across the floor, along with a pair of ripped up jeans, a pair of motorcycle boots and a messenger bag, which had somewhat spilled over, a dirty grey hoodie was tossed across a chair next to the bed, along with another pair of jeans, nowhere near as battered as the other ones. The untidiness of this, being a hospital, would have been the first thing Kate noticed...if not for

" _What the fuck",_ Victoria muttered from behind her.

Chloe was sound asleep, and Max, albeit restlessly, was also sound asleep, with her arm wrapped around Chloe, both of them barely fit on the hospital bed, but they were close enough that there was room around them. Chloe had also removed her shirt at some point, which was in a pile next to the bed, covered in... _blood?_

Neither Kate nor Victoria really knew how to take in what they were seeing, so they both left the room as silently as they had entered.

"Did you see that, because i'm pretty sure I actually saw that…", Victoria said.

"I….well, they are best friends", Kate replied.

Victoria laughed.

"Friends...right."


	9. 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong

**Chloe woke up before Max, this time. This time it was light outside, she looked at the clock on the wall, 8:00AM. She figured counting Max's incident during the night, that meant they had slept for close to eleven hours. Seemed right, to her. Since they'd been only half-sleeping in the cab of a pickup truck for days.**

Her sleep had been restless, not as restless as Max's, but still restless. She had nightmares of her own, just of a different kind. Mostly people leaving her. Or not being good enough for something, usually to extreme degrees. She was used to that. They had dramatically increased in frequency and focus, though. And now she had dreams about dying. She always had, that had partially fueled her insomnia, she vaguely recalled painting "I CAN'T SLEEP" on her bedroom wall, over her bed, but back then, she had thought she wanted to die, and that was the source of the fear, she hadn't known what was happening to her. Now, the dreams were different. Horrible. She didn't want to think about them any more right now. She delicately ran her fingers through Max's hair, _I love you, Max._ She mouthed the words.

Her arm hurt like hell, and all her joints ached from the trek to the lighthouse. She looked down at Max, her arm was still around Chloe loosely, but Max seemed to be sleeping...peacefully. As peacefully as she could be, anyway. Chloe didn't want to wake her, she knew how tired she herself had been and still was and couldn't imagine how tired Max must have been. And if she wasn't kicking or screaming in her sleep, Chloe figured it was better to let her sleep.

 _But I desperately...fucking...need...a...smoke._

She wasn't going to leave Max alone, for long, besides, someone would probably be checking up on her soon anyway, _thank you, David,_ she was surprised nobody had already, though she thought she vaguely heard the door opening and very shortly later closing at some point during the night, no alarms had gone off, nobody had disturbed them. She carefully, carefully moved Max's arm, and slowly, gently and quietly as she could rolled over and stood up. She almost said "FUCK!", when her bare feet touched the cold tile floor, but managed to keep it to herself. She realized she was freezing, just before realizing that sometime during the night she had discarded her shirt, it had been wet with tears and blood from Max's nosebleed _...which, I thought we were done with that, she didn't...rewind, right? No, she said she couldn't anymore._ Still, she was worried. She'd talk about it with Max later.

She carefully picked up her jeans and slid them on. Sitting in the chair with Max's hoodie on it, she pulled her boots on. She looked at her shirt, _yeah this, is not gonna work_. She thought for a moment.

"Sorry, Max", she whispered, before taking Max's hoodie off the chair and putting it on over her bra, zipping it up all the way. It was too small, but it would have to work. She put her leather jacket on over it. She didn't bother looking for her hat, she had to move quickly and be back before Max woke up. She wasn't only going for a cigarette. She wanted to do something….nice...for Max, after what she'd put the poor girl through the day before. Breakfast was all she could think of right now. She grabbed the pen and paper from the end of the bed, anyway, just in case.

" _Good morning, Max._

 _Literally BRB._

 _Went 4 coffee."_

 _Okay, so i'm not a fucking poet._

She pulled the hood over her blue hair and quietly left the room.

* * *

The hallway was busy, but this wasn't a high priority wing, no nurses waiting for her with a syringe of tranquilizers, _too bad for that...no, can't think like that anymore._ So she just started walking. She got in the elevator and went to the ground floor. She knew how to get to the lobby from here, and did just that, walking right by the front desk, the staff there busy taking calls from residents looking for missing loved ones or, whatever they were doing.

She lit her first cigarette of the day. She tore the patch off and dropped it in a storm drain. She knew she needed to stop. She knew she couldn't kill herself this way, slowly, after everything. But addiction was hard. She knew that better than anyone.

 _God. Max has no idea how bad I really got. It started with the weed, right after dad died, then drinking, then both, then pills and then...shit._

She didn't want to think about it. She hadn't ever actually considered how bad of shape she had really been in before...even with Rachel. Until Max had come back into her life, really. She had refused the IV for a morphine drip for a reason, even though she had a considerable wound, several bone bruises and too much going on in her head. _Not going back to that._

She sighed. She thought about Joyce. Last night had been such a mess, she really couldn't. Plus she had let herself be content with Max, for a little while. She knew she had only known for a day, but it felt like forever. Already. She started to cry again. And then she lit her second cigarette of the day. She only had _so_ many, there were a couple packs in the truck, which was on the other side of Arcadia, she realized she'd need to get out there somehow, _assuming nobody has stolen it, which I will literally kill them if they did_ , but that could wait.

She stood looking up at the morning sky, smoking her second cigarette, for a few moments.

 _I'm so sorry mom. I'm so sorry. If I could have a few seconds with you, i'd tell apologize for being such a mess. Such a burden. I fucked up. So many times. I didn't mean to. I really didn't. I shouldn't have pushed you away like I did. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I love you. I never stopped loving you. Even if I never showed it. I'm such an asshole. I'm trying to get better, really, I am. Max is helping me._

She did feel better after whatever had happened at the lighthouse, a lot more in control, but that on it's own scared her, _I almost….died…again. If I could just fucking remember everything Rachel said...but...Twin Peaks effect._

She sighed again and dropped the cigarette in the storm drain, then headed back inside.

* * *

She had no idea how to get to the cafeteria and didn't want to ask anyone, in case they did recognize her, then she'd have to explain why she was out of her room without consent, _this is_ _bullshit,_ what she was doing, _this is bullshit, i'm 19, not 9,_ and then would have to explain Max, and she wasn't sure David was ready for that one yet.

She eventually found her way, using maps on the walls and signs. She knew exactly what she was here for. She got two plates of pancakes and two cups of coffee, and then realized she couldn't carry this by herself.

"...Fuck", she said, louder than she intended.

"...Chloe, is that you?", a small voice behind her, she tensed immediately, before realizing she knew that voice.

She turned, "hey, Kate."

"Hey. Chloe, i'm so sorry for what happened, I didn't-"

"It's alright, Kate. It isn't your fault."

"But, I-", Kate tried again.

"Kate. I don't want to talk about it right now, but i'm not mad at you. I don't blame you, or anything like that, i'm fucking pissed at myself, but that's it."

"Chloe, are you sure, I mean it's...alright, I understand if you are mad at me."

"I'm not, Kate. For real. Can I ask you something though? I was going to ask David, but I didn't get there yet."

"Of course, anything."

"...I know town is...a fucking mess, right now. And everyone is busy with something or other, but is there going to be a….", Chloe did her best to hide how upset she really was, it was starting to come though a little, though. "...funeral...or...service or something? For her? For...mom?"

"Well, honestly, that kind of thing has been on hold. David did want to have a memorial of some kind in the chapel here, though. I told him i'd help him. I mean...I...well...you know.. I'm surprised he didn't mention it to you. But yes, he wanted to wait until you were back, if he could. I don't think he ever really gave up hope on you, Chloe. I know he can be….well...an..asshole", swearing was still new to Kate and didn't come easily, "...but I think he somehow knew you were alright...well, alive or…"

"He's...a good person", Chloe couldn't believe those words left her own mouth.

"I wouldn't have believed it either, a week ago. So...Chloe, you aren't mad at me? You don't hate me? I understand, I really do-"

"No, Kate. Like I said. Hella mad at myself, that's all."

"...Alright, Chloe, please don't beat yourself up too much, just, if you ever want to talk about it, i'm here."

"Thanks, I think have that covered though."

"Hehe, yeah", Kate giggled, unintentionally.

"What's that about?", Chloe didn't know what was funny about any of this.

"Oh...nothing. Hey, you need some help carrying both of your breakfasts?"

In that moment Chloe knew that Kate somehow knew.

 _Fucking divine intervention._

"Actually, that would be hella helpful. Oh and, look I don't want you to feel like you owe me or any shit like that, but can I ask you a favor, there's something I want to do, for...myself and...someone else, something important, can you maybe, since you know the inventory and shit around here, maybe get me a few things?"

"As long as it's not drugs or...weapons...or...Chloe, you have have bit of a reputation, you know? But, as long as it isn't anything like that, then yes, i'd be happy to", Kate did feel like she owed Chloe, but Chloe was genuinely asking from somewhere other than selfishness, Kate could tell.

"Awesomesauce. Thank you, Kate, it's nothing like that, i'm gonna need…."

* * *

Kate helped Chloe with the food, but didn't actually come into the room. Chloe was fine with that, she liked Kate, but knew this was going to be awkward for her. She also had to talk with David today, to find out if she was going to have time to wait for Kate to get her what she'd asked for. And get her fucking truck back, somehow. She needed to go back to whatever was left of home, and Max needed to go to Blackwell and get some of her shit, _assuming it hasn't already been looted, which I will literally kill them if-...woah, deja vu._

Max, thankfully, was still asleep, Chloe looked at the clock, eh, half an hour, twenty five minutes more than she intended. She removed her jacket, and unzipped the hoodie, which she felt was crushing her for the last thirty minutes. She sighed with relief.

She stepped around the bed and touched Max's shoulder.

"Hey, Max, someone left a note."

"...mmmwhat?", Max asked, still mostly asleep.

"Yeah, like, it's legit, they aren't very good at spelling though, it says ' _Good morning, Max. Literally BRB. Went 4 coffee.'_ Four, like, the number four, who does this?"

"...sucha...dork...Chlo-", Chloe interrupted her with a kiss.

"Wake up, Mad Max, I brought food, and more important, caffeine."

* * *

Morning was...peaceful. As peaceful as it could be, anyway, under the circumstances. Later, after Max had stolen her hoodie back, they walked across the parking lot, through 'Tent City' towards where David was no doubt still working his ass off on little to no sleep. Chloe had thrown her fucked up oroboros shirt in Max's bag and settled on zipping her jacket all the way up, which did little against the autumn air, but, well she didn't really care, it saved Max some embarrassment though.

"So what's the plan, _Captain_ Chloe Price?"

"I tell David i'm fine, we borrow his car, we go get the truck, you follow me to...whatever is left of my place, and then we go to Blackwell and get some of your stuff", Chloe said, confidently.

"And you think he's going to believe you, after, well he just thinks you blacked out from stress, but...stil."

"Well, I do know how to hotwire a car, if it comes to that. Besides, all my tests came back negative. That's...always a good feeling", that grin again.

"...Gross, Chloe. Please don't get yourself in any more trouble, you are lucky nobody has mentioned the gate yet."

"Gate? I did that? Fuck."

"Are you joking?", Max was hoping she was, but knew better.

"...no, I really don't remember."

"Jesus, Chloe."

"I'm okay, really. I am."

"I hope so."

They entered the tent, Chloe had a sharp feeling of despair, remembering how and the cause of why she stormed out, the day before.

"Chloe, you alright?", Max asked, picking up on her hesitation.

"...Yeah...I mean, no, not really, but considering, yeah."

Max squeezed her hand. Chloe squeezed back.

David was asleep at his desk.

"...should we, uh…", Max started.

"I'm not waking up an ex-soldier, so much PTSD, man."

"Like we're in a position to talk about PTSD."

"Good point, Max", and with that Chloe slid a hardcover book off the desk, "oops."

"WHAT THE SH-", David shot up and looked around.

"Sorry", Chloe Said, "I bumped into the desk, floor is uneven in here man, like, majorly."

 _Goddammit, Chloe_ , Max thought.

"...that's...alright, Chloe….hey, you aren't supposed to be up."

"I feel fine David, besides all my shit came back normal, I just have some scrapes and bruises, I feel much better", Chloe wasn't _really_ lying, she just wasn't telling the entire truth.

"Max needs your car again, she really needs to go to Blackwell and see if her stuff is still there, then I figured she could swing by my….our...place and grab some of my clothes….our place is still there...right?", _now_ she was lying.

 _Chloe, what are you doing?_

David sighed, "Well, Blackwell is technically open, no classes in the foreseeable future, but there are staff members there. Alright, she brought it back last time, with you in tow. So I suppose I can trust her again. And yes, but it's not in...great shape, Chloe."

"Thank you, David", Chloe said.

"...yeah...thank you, David", Max repeated.

"I'm feeling a little sick still, so, i'm gonna go back up to my room, maybe i'll see Kate on the way, _alright_ Max?" Chloe asked, with an uneven tone that Max prayed David was too tired to pick up on.

"Alright, Chloe. Max, be careful."

* * *

"Chloe, what the fuck was that?", Max asked, dumbfounded.

"Hey, it worked dude, that's all that counts."

"You do realize I can't rewind anymore, right?"

"Yes…" _that nosebleed last night, though, what was that about….later, a topic for later._

"I can't believe that worked."

"I can't either, honestly, improvising Max, improvising."

Chloe stepped around to the driver's door of the muscle car, "I'm driving, by the way."

"No. No way in hell, Chloe. Not after what I saw yesterday and...actually I drove this death trap yesterday, remember? You cannot be trusted with this kind of power."

"With great power comes great responsibility, Max."

"...what does that have to do with..", Chloe had taken these seconds to unlock the car, jump in the driver's seat and fasten her seatbelt.

 _Goddammit, Chloe._

Max sighed and stepped around to the passenger side as Chloe unlocked the door. Chloe started the car and fell in love immediately with how loud it was, and that shake, that only old big blocks will give you.

"I never thought he'd get this thing running, huh. I should have gone to him instead of blowing Frank's money on fixing the truck."

 _Money...wait a second…_ "...Chloe...where is Wells' money?"

Chloe stuttered for a moment, "uh...in a box under my bed."

"...you know, that might be a problem...going to Blackwell, if Wells made it and is there, Chloe I-"

"IMPROVISE, MAX!", with that she tore out of the parking spot in reverse.


	10. Something About Us

**Driving through Arcadia Bay was still surreal. In spots, not much had changed, save for the lack of electricity and downed trees. Some people had returned to their homes, even. Other places though, like the main drag by the diner, looked like a scene from Mad Max, or Fallout. Construction had begun, but that just added to the surreal scope of it all. Chloe had driven ridiculously recklessly, scaring the hell out of Max, until they got to her pickup truck and Max talked Chloe into taking it, which...wasn't easy, she wanted to keep David's car. Max had talked Chloe into following her back to the hospital to drop off the car, they were already drawing enough attention, never mind that Max had no licence, should a cop actually have a spare moment, the loud, not in any way subtle muscle car was an unneeded beacon, despite Chloe's insistence otherwise. They left the car, hoping David would just assume Max had returned it and not go looking, and left again in the pickup.**

"Welcome home, Max", Chloe had said as Max climbed into the cab, "...we should have left this and took the car, though."

"Chloe, I really don't think you can handle that kind of power for long", Max teased.

"Hey, before I got the truck, I was going to buy a Chevelle, it was sick, Max. '69, my favorite number-", Max sighed at this, "...it was beautiful, I mean..it was rusty but, there was _potential_ , ya know? And it was a true SS, 396 block...just the block though, the heads were gone, and the guy said he'd blown third gear and had started parting it out, it was perfect, I just-"

"Couldn't afford to-...wait a second, you actually sound like you know what you're talking about", Max was lost on anything about cars past driving them, "...do you actually know what you're talking about?"

"...I...flipped through David's car mags a lot, and i've tinkered with the truck before, I mean, it's still going. I should have never blown that money getting it fixed, I could have done it myself...I was just..in a hurry…never thought David actually knew his shit...", she trailed off, obviously not a pleasant period of her life.

"You're full of surprises, Chloe."

"You haven't even seen me in the action, Caulfield... _yet_ ", that tone, Max knew that tone.

She looked out the window to hide her blushing, and changed the subject.

"So where are we going first?"

"Well, actually I was kind of hoping you would decide, I don't really _want_ to go back to my place, I mean...memories...there are a couple things I have to get from mom's room. If it's still attached to the house. Besides my own shit."

"I don't really _want_ to go back to Blackwell either, Chloe, I mean..I know Jefferson is gone, but…", she hung on that last word, "plus, seeing it empty...I", the guilt was returning, at this rate her other voice would start her bullshit again.

Chloe sighed, "It's alright, Max, we'll go to my place first."

"Thank you, Chloe."

* * *

The Price household wasn't unscathed by the storm, by a longshot. There was virtually no glass left. A lot of paneling had been ripped apart, and the roof had been struck by...something, the area where Joyce's...and David's, room had been, was hit pretty hard.

"Fuck", Chloe muttered. She parked the truck in the driveway, crooked, of course, like she had so many hundreds of times before, but this...was new.

"Chloe, if you don't want to go in, it's alright. I understand. We can grab you some clothes from the salvation army or..something."

"No, I have to do this. Besides, fuck that shit, well, most of my stuff came from there anyway, but that isn't the point. Besides, I _really_ need to get something from mom's room...if I can. Don't ask me what, right now."

She tentatively opened the door, but didn't quite step out yet, as if she was testing the ground. Max got out first. And just looked up at the house. _So many good memories._

Chloe finally stepped out, slamming the door behind her harder than she meant to.

"Are you sure about this?"

"No, but I have to."

They walked hand in hand to the door, Chloe fumbled with the keys, _intentionally?_ Finally she unlocked the door, it was crooked, so she had to kind of shove it open. "...home shit home", she muttered, sadly.

The inside wasn't too bad, downstairs anyway, there was a massive draft though. Broken glass all over the floor. Chloe just kind of ignored it and went up the stairs, right into her room, Max followed. Chloe's room was a mess, some weather had gotten in, from the broken window, somehow her inverted flag was still in the window frame, but it was even more tattered than before. Chloe just kind of stood, staring for a moment.

"Chloe…", Max said, gently.

"You know, I never thought i'd see this room again. This must have been how you felt, that day I rescued you from Nathan...wait..I ACTUALLY RESCUED _YOU_ ONCE!", Chloe had gone from somber to happy in an instant.

"Chloe...you rescued me a lot more than once. You rescued me period. And you...you...rescue me every day. Just by being there", Max's tone was much more serious. And she was blushing, slightly.

Chloe her turned her gaze from the JUST GOTTA LET GO tagged on her wall, _why did I do that, anyway? Eh, fuck it._ She turned to face Max, moving her head down to meet her eyes, Chloe was smiling, there were tears in her eyes, but the smile was genuine. She embraced the smaller girl, burying her face in her hair.

"I love you, Max. You are _my_ hero, at least. I've never thanked you for saving me, it felt too selfish, but I guess I can allow myself this, even though i'm trying to cut the selfish crap. Thank you for picking me, and thank you from rescuing me from what I was...before. I don't ever want to go back there, you have no idea, and I hope you never do. I didn't know the old me...the real me, was still around, but you brought her back. I'm not saying i'm not a fuckup and won't continue to fuck up, but you...brought me back. Remember I said Rachel was my angel? Well, I was wrong. I was so wrong. You are, and you always were. My Super Max", this was the most sincere and open Chloe had been to Max in a long time. It brought tears to Max's eyes.

"Chloe…", Max said gently.

Chloe put her finger to Max's lips, "No, don't argue with me, right now."

"I wasn't going to. I was just going to say….that...i've...never...really seen you in...in….action", if Max was blushing any harder, she would have another massive nosebleed.

Chloe just smiled her smile, then they kissed. With a deeper passion than they had before. What happened next was just kind of a haze to Max. Chloe had already unzipped her jacket and let it fall to the floor, she had led Max to her bed somehow, and Max's bag and hoodie were already gone by that point. Chloe was straddling Max now. At some point she'd lost her bra, Max didn't know if she or Chloe had done that. Chloe leaned over and took Max's face in her hands, kissing her lips, then her neck.

"Are you sure you want this?", Chloe whispered.

"Yes", there was no hesitation in Max's voice now, and Chloe could feel her hand running along her thigh.

* * *

Victoria had started seeking Kate out, she was the closest thing she had to a friend now. And she was stuck in Arcadia as long as 101 was closed, which was only supposed to be a few more days. But she actually felt the need to make sure Kate was alright, really alright, after all she had put her through. They sat in the cafeteria, which was pretty empty at this hour, Kate with her tea and Victoria with a cup of over-sweetened coffee.

"So...about last night, what _was_ that?", Victoria asked.

"I'm not sure, Victoria, and i'm not supposed to judge, I know they are really close, and have known each other for a very long time though", Kate mused.

"Like, how long are we talking here?"

"Well, I know Max a lot better than you do, I suppose, Chloe was Max's best friend pretty much since they were kids, until five years ago, Max moved away to Seattle. Something about her father's job. Max is from here originally, I don't know if you knew that. She came back when she got accepted into Blackwell. But she...kind of lost contact with Chloe, she talked about her all the time, when we used to hang out, but it was like there was something...holding her back, from reaching out to her. I don't know exactly how they met up again, I know Max wanted to, but I think she was scared...or something. I'm not sure. And like I said, I don't really know how they met up again, because I was…", Kate trailed off, gathering her thoughts.

"Kate, I know where you were. I'm sorry. I'm really am. I know I keep apologizing, but I feel so horrible about the entire thing."

"I forgive you, Victoria. I do. I should never have gone to that stupid party anyway. And you might have saved me, who knows where I would have been if I hadn't been here."

"I...never thought about it like that. I'm still sorry, though."

"God forgives, Victoria. Nobody is a lost cause. Except, maybe, Mr. Jefferson."

"That, Kate, I can agree with."

Kate was surprised to find she enjoyed Victoria's company. They couldn't be any more different, Victoria still had to have her hair and makeup perfect, even if there was nobody to see it. Kate was never vain to begin with, and didn't do anything except shower and put her hair up every morning.

"Has there been any word on anyone else from Blackwell? You seem more up to date on the gossip around here than I am...which, this gossip thing is kind of new to me."

"Wells made it, he's overseeing repairs, apparently. I heard a rumor Alyssa is around somewhere, but I haven't seen her. Other than that, I think that...weird guy, with the long hair and the tattoos that used to hang around the Two Whales is around too, I thought I saw him outside, when I went for a walk one night. it might not have been him though."

"Victoria, what actually happened at Blackwell, damage-wise and why are you here, really?"

"The boys section of the dorms got annihilated, I heard a train or something got blown into it, the main building took a lot of hits, but is still standing. The girl's section is apparently not that bad, but a lot of broken windows and shit like that. Samuel is around, from what I hear, overseeing the repairs with Wells, he always...creeped me out a bit. And...I...had a little bit of a breakdown, my parents suggested voluntary psych ward time, so I can leave, I just, where am I going to go?"

"My lord. So you...kind of did save me, accidentally. And i'm sorry to hear that, you're alright now, though?"

"If anyone could tell, it would be you", Victoria said seriously, "but yeah, i'm doing alright, I think...so do you think David knows about...whatever is going on between Caulfield and Price?"

"No...and it's not our place, Victoria."

"Oh no, i'm not going to tell him or anything, i'm just trying to imagine his reaction."

"I don't even want to", Kate said, but she couldn't help laughing a little.

* * *

"...didn't we come here to do something?", Max asked lazily, it was cold in Chloe's room, with no windows and no heat due to the massive power outages, they lay huddled together under a blanket on Chloe's bed.

"Besides each other? I don't know, I forgot."

"...Grow up, Chloe", Max said, but she was smiling.

"I didn't hear you complaining an hour ago. And hey, you were _good_ for your first time. You always were a quick learner."

"Shh, Chloe. I don't want to get up. Can we just stay here, like, forever?"

"Max, we have forever, now. Which reminds me…", Chloe got up, Max had no idea how the cold didn't phase her, she was still naked, Max had pulled her t-shirt back on, Chloe hadn't bothered and began rooting around under the bed.

"...junk...garbage...oh, there's my Amebix shirt-"

"What's...an...'Amebix'?"

"...I'll explain it to you someday...when you're older...oh, here it is."

Chloe returned, holding the box Max had found the picture of Rachel and Chloe in, which seemed like forever ago, "you keep asking me about the money, so, here it is."

"And what are you going to do with it?"

"Well….I kinda had a plan...i've been working on it…hey, have you noticed it's kinda cold in here?"

"...Chloe, sometimes I literally can't even….with you...I...anyway, what plan?"

"Well...I know Blackwell isn't going to be open anytime soon, so….how would you feel about a road trip...like, when we're done here. Just...try to forget everything, for a little while, anyway?"

"Chloe. I'd love to. I really, _really_ would. But I still think you should give it back, I mean-"

"Max, Blackwell is getting pumped so much Government money right now, this is nothing, I mean seriously. Can I just...have this...after everything...please?"

Max thought about the awful other timeline Chloe, confined to a wheelchair, and…"Chloe, it's the handicapped fund...I mean…"

"And do you actually think it's legit? Really? This was going right in Wells' pocket, and you know it."

"...yeah, but i'm scared they're going to figure it out, and you're going to wind up in jail, or something."

"Wouldn't be the first time, but I don't think that's going to happen. Not with everything else going on."

"You're probably right…", Max sighed, "alright Chloe, you can keep it...unless we find out it's legit somehow. Wait, when were you in jail?"

"Deal! And...which time?...actually, let's get packing, i'll tell you some other time."

So they did. Max was still embarrassed and trying to cover her legs, which was hilarious to Chloe, who took her time picking out a different tank top and jeans that weren't quite as battered, and a heavier leather jacket. She tossed Chloe a pile of Rachel's old clothes, it felt kinda weird, but, well, what can you do? Max picked out a different flannel, this one black and blue, a t-shirt from some band she'd never heard of and some black jeans. Chloe stuffed a bunch of clothes into a duffle bag, with no real order, along with a pair of red chucks and another beanie, this one almost the same shocking blue as her hair.

"This still feels kinda weird, Chloe, these clothes."

"Still no mosh pits for, you, shaka brah", Chloe remarked.

"Fuck off, Chloe", Max laughed.

"Hey, uh, would you mind waiting here, while I go get something from Mom's room? I just..-"

"It's fine Chloe, I understand."

"Thanks."

Chloe exited the room with her bag, she took a deep breath, and crossed the hallway into Joyce's room...what was left of it. Not much of a roof. A lot of water damage. _Shit._ She went over to the closet hoping what she'd be looking for was there, and it was, a box of William's clothing. She sorted through it, picking out a certain few things and adding them to her overstuffed bag.

"I'm sorry, Mom, and Dad, I know i've said it a million times now, but I still am", she said to the empty room.

* * *

Kate heard knocking on her door, interrupting her afternoon prayers. _Victoria, again?_ She stood up and went over to the door, opening it slowly. David.

"Hey, Kate, have you seen Chloe...or Max, Max took my car out earlier to get some things, it's back, but I can't find them, I had to go out to town earlier to oversee another...well, it was...supposed to be a rescue, anyway, I didn't have time to look around for the, but Chloe's not in her room, I don't know where Max is", his tone wasn't angry, just a little concerned.

Kate hated lying, but she also knew Chloe, and she knew Max even better, she _hated_ lying, but, considering…

"I talked to Chloe...earlier, she said something about exploring a little, so she's around somewhere….Max...uh…I saw a little while ago, I think she went to…radiology...to ask about some of the imaging technology, she is a photographer, after all, and there isn't much else to do."

"...yeah, that sounds like Chloe, I wish she hadn't lost or broken her phone, but alright, as long as she's safe. And Max, too. I have to get back, but i'll check in later."

"Sounds...good...Mr. Madsen", she wasn't used to lying, at all, and this was hard for her, "Oh and Mr. Madsen...Chloe asked about that service you wanted to have for Joyce, she's all in, I don't want to bring it up and upset you, but I thought you should know, we can do it tomorrow, like you originally wanted, if you're...up for it."

"I'm actually off tomorrow and...I need...to make some kind of peace...so, I think...yes...we'll do that. If I don't see Chloe or Max, let them know for me, alright?", his voice started to break, he turned away.

"Sure, Mr. Madsen."

When David had left, she went back to her prayers, saying a few extra for herself, this time.

* * *

By the time they had gotten to Blackwell Academy, it was starting to get dark, they had gotten...distracted, at their first stop.

Max sighed, she really did not want to be here, but she had to get whatever was left of her things. Still, it felt wrong, so wrong, to see the school like this. Plus, Jefferson, the bathroom incident…

 _ **It could happen again, who knows.**_

 _NO. IT CAN'T. STOP IT._

She shook her head and sighed.

"Max, you alright? You started to daze out there, again, was the sex that good?"

"No, I mean...yes..I mean..Chloe, i'm going to have to talk to you about these...episodes, at some point, but not right now, let's just get this over with."

"Whatever you say, Max."

They parked in the parking lot, which was both too empty, and had too many damaged vehicles in it. And made their way quickly to the dorms, a security guard stopped them at one point, but Max just flashed her student ID and told him she needed to get a few things and he let them by. The School had been hit harder than she thought, part of the dorm building was damaged heavily, the boys' section was...bad, the girls section looked mostly alright, just...empty, and a lot of broken windows. They had to move quickly because this section wasn't on the generators right now and the sun was starting to set. They came to the steps where Victoria had been sitting, just a week before, but Max pushed that out of her mind and just continued in.

"It's the last one before the hall, on the right, up here", Max was saying.

Chloe was just looking around as she walked, she hadn't been in these dorms since Rachel was alive, seeing some of their other friends at the time.

Max got to her door and unlocked it, stepping into the room, the window was badly cracked, but other than that it was...normal...just darker than usual.

"Whoa, Max, this is...really nice. Now I feel terrible about my room."

"It's just some stuff from...Seattle...Chloe, nothing major."

"No, it really is beautiful. I love the lanterns, I wish we could turn them on...and the photos...and- wait, you play guitar?"

"I dabble a bit, that's all."

"We are so taking that with us."

"Chloe, come on, I need clothes and stuff, not the guitar", but she already knew this was going to be another thing like David's car, now Chloe _had_ to have it.

"Well...well, I need it...maybe, let's see", she picked it up. Max sighed and started to pack her admittedly small wardrobe into a backpack. To her astonishment she heard...music, from behind her. Rough, the chords were messy, but they were there. _Huh, never would have thought-_..then...then...she was truly amazed. She stopped packing and just…listened.

" _I'm in love with the world through the eyes of a girl, who's still around the morning after.."_

Chloe was...singing. Chloe was singing and it was a song...Max knew. Chloe was singing and it didn't matter that her chords were rough and she hit a few bad notes with the guitar, Chloe was singing and it was...beautiful.

" _It's always been wait and see...a happy day and then you pay..and feel like shit the morning after_...uh how did it...fuck...oh, right... _but now I feel changed around and instead of falling down...I'm standing up the morning after"_

"...Chl...Chloe...you can...sing? Like that? Oh my God."

"What? I've had plenty of time to dick around, I started to learn bass a long time ago, David kept getting mad because I wouldn't turn it down, so I pawned it for...well, don't ask...but, it's nothing, really."

"Chloe, that was beautiful. And...that song...you?"

"I have my guilty pleasures, Max. And it was nothing, really."

"...we can take the guitar, Chloe."

"Sweet!"

* * *

 **Author's note:** "Chloe's Song" is the beautiful "Say Yes", by Elliott Smith.


	11. Blue

**The two girls had made their way back to the hospital, Max, despite the strange feelings Blackwell Academy gave her now, had wanted to explore a bit further, but Chloe had, after convincing Max to take her guitar with them, wanted to leave as quickly as possible. And Max knew why. Wells' money. If he** _ **was**_ **there, it might lead to a conflict of some kind and Chloe didn't really want to get arrested or something...or give the money back. Max, despite herself, also really didn't, after hearing Chloe's idea of taking a road trip...together...when they were done in Arcadia Bay, just like Chloe had always wanted. Max wanted the time with her...and wanted to let Chloe have that, she'd been through so much...they both had.**

Chloe had talked to David, acting like they had been there, somewhere, the entire time, and asked if she could keep her room for another night, since there was really nowhere else to go, every motel in the area was full, and Chloe _really_ didn't want to deal with the tent situation, or put Max through that. He agreed, though he added they weren't really supposed to do that, he'd talk to the administration, Kate got to keep hers because she had been working tirelessly to help out. Chloe thanked David, exited the tent, lit a cigarette and headed towards the hospital lobby, where Max was waiting for her. David had also informed her of the memorial service for Joyce tomorrow, and Chloe was considering smoking two or three at the same time, after hearing that. She just hoped Kate had been able to get what she asked for, and was glad she was able to find what she was looking for in William's things. This was probably as close to a funeral as Joyce would get, Chloe didn't intend on staying in Arcadia for much longer, and this would give her _some_ closure. Well, not really. Chloe smoked the cigarette quickly and lit another one, outside the Lobby.

* * *

Chloe heard the doors open behind her and assumed it was just a doctor or something. She didn't bother turning to look.

"Chloe...you're smoking... _again_?", Max asked gently, uncertainly, from behind her. She had already brought up it up once before, today, on the way back to the hospital, when Chloe had smoked three cigarettes on the short drive.

 _I knew this was coming again, but now is not the fucking time._

"Max...I know. I want to quit. I do. But-"

"But? Chloe this is...horrible, you smoke constantly, we didn't go through all this for you to die of lung cancer or something at 25."

"Max...I know…", Chloe was trying very hard to keep her aggravation to herself.

"What happened to the patches they gave you?", Max asked.

"Well, one of them is in that storm drain over there", Chloe gestured with her smoking hand, still not facing Max, "the rest of them are probably in the garbage somewhere", her voice came out with a much more irritated tone than she had intended it to, that was supposed to be a joke...well, half of one anyway.

"...Chloe."

"Max. Can we please not. Just. Not right now. I know. I do. I have to quit….it's just…"

"Chloe, you can do it. I know you can. I'm not saying just stop totally, out of nowhere. But...try to cut back...please?", Max was trying to be as gentle as she could.

Chloe's thoughts went to a dark place again. She wanted weed badly. But promised herself she would stop. She had considered taking whatever was left in her room, but forced herself not to. More, the more she thought about Joyce, the more she wanted to steal a bag of morphine and lock herself in a closet with a syringe. But she was trying not to go back to that, either. Going so far as refusing painkillers, even though she had been and still was in considerable physical pain, and the mental pain was building again. Max had no idea how hard she was trying. She didn't want Max to know the extent of how bad she had gotten, but this conversation was pushing her, she knew Max was trying to help, but that didn't really comfort her at the moment.

"Max. Please. Listen to me. There's going to be a service for Joyce in the chapel here, tomorrow. I just found out from David. I need this right now. I know I need to quit...I do. And I will try my hardest when this is over with, but right now-"

"Chloe... _this_ won't bring her back...I'm sorry. I know it's my fucking fault. But...i'm not smoking", Max regretted this as soon as she said it, and kind of wished she hadn't brought any of it up to begin with.

Max was trying to help, like she always was, and Chloe knew this, but she had the tone of someone who didn't know what being addicted was like, and it was grating on Chloe's nerves, even though she was trying her hardest to not get angry.

"Max you...don't really understand...I was already a smoker before this. This just made it worse. And I had been doing...other things.."

"Pot? I think the occasional joint might be better than chainsmoking, Chloe, really. I-"

" _You_ don't know, Max. You have no idea", Chloe cut her off, _dammit, don't go there, Price._

"...I know, i'm...sorry. I'm just worried about you" Max was genuinely concerned, and Chloe knew it. She couldn't stop what came out next though, even though she immediately regretted it. She felt herself starting to lose control again.

"And where was that concern when I was hella strung out on booze...pills...when I had a needle in my arm? Or trying to stay blazed constantly, every waking hour? Oh right, you were living it up in Seattle, and I was alone. But hey, at least that stopped me from cutting myself, though, right? I mean there's no way you haven't felt the scars, even if they're covered now", her voice was increasing in volume and she knew it, she already wished she hadn't said anything, but she couldn't stop herself, "So coming off of last week, you know, I think i'm doing pretty fucking well, considering. Look how many drugs we're surrounded by right now, and I haven't fucking touched any of them, and believe me, i've _wanted_ to. But I HAVEN'T. I've been smoking more, I know. BUT I'M FUCKING TRYING. I DIDN'T ASK FOR ANY OF THIS."

Max was stunned, she just stared at her. Chloe already hated herself for what she'd just done. Max turned away from her, partially to hide the tears in her eyes, she stormed back into the hospital, and took off. Chloe had no idea where she was going, she realized beyond the cafeteria and "her" room, she had no fucking idea where anything was.

 _God fucking dammit, she was so happy earlier. As much as she could have been in this mess, anyway. Good job, Price, good fucking job. You just just pushed away the one person who really would never push you away again._

"Fucking hell, i'm sorry, Max", she said to the night air.

She started after Max, not knowing where the fuck she was supposed to be going, which she felt was the usual in her life.

* * *

Max was bounding down hallways, she had no idea how to process what she'd just heard. She had no real thoughts in her head. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't know why she had run away. She couldn't face Chloe right now.

 _It's still so soon...I knew she would have...more..meltdowns….but….I never...she was really that...bad...because…_

 _ **Because of you. Us. Yes. Don't act like you didn't know. You saw how she always skirted around the subject. Hell, Maxine, she probably survived the same dose of whatever killed Rachel, and could function enough to kick Nathan shortly after, her system has to be on par with fucking Keith Richards. The first thing she did after five years was blame a joint on you. I told you she wasn't worth it.**_

 _She's trying! She's fucking trying her best! She's probably even more fucked up than me after all of this. Just fucking stop this. She's lost so fucking much. You can't blame her for everything._

 _ **Oh, I blame us for being so fucking stupid. She's using you. And now she will never want you again, she might as well have just told you to 'eat shit and die', was it? And you gave our virginity to that? Oh my dog.**_

 _She loves me. She fucking does._

 _ **More than she loves her vices? I don't think so. She's probably taking off again, now. Hey, maybe this time she'll actually stay down and things can change.**_

 _I...I...no...Chloe will never leave me again. I know she won't...she won't...she can't…_

 _ **Us and our wishful thinking...**_

 _GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HEAD._

 _ **Easy there, Maxine, don't give yourself another nosebleed, or something.**_

For the first time, she hung on something her other voice said, she stopped. Just stopped dead in her tracks, in the middle of an empty hallway. She put her hand up. She focused so hard she thought she'd give herself a nosebleed either way. Time didn't rewind. Again, the headrush didn't come. For the second time, she wished she still had the power.

 _ **Not so easy now that you can't manipulate people, is it? That's her forte, not ours.**_

Max pushed all her thoughts aside. She just, didn't think. She couldn't take it anymore. She started running again. She didn't have any idea of what to do now. And now her other voice was scaring her again. She swore it would never get to her, but right now it was. She kept running, slamming doors at the ends of hallways open and eventually she found herself in the courtyard of the hospital.

She sat down in a corner, pulling her knees to her chest. She cried again.

* * *

Chloe was running too, but she, as always, drew more attention than Max. Overworked and tired nurses yelled at her to slow down. She paid no attention. She had no idea where Max had gone. She found herself wishing _she_ could rewind time.

 _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to unload on you like that. I'm sorry. I'm sorry._

"CHLOE!", a voice she knew, not a pissed off nurse.

 _Dammit, it can wait, whatever it is, Kate. Actually…_

She stopped, winded, more winded than a slender nineteen year old girl should be, _I fucking know I need to quit, lungs. I know,_ "KATE! God, I-"

"Chloe, what's wrong, what happened? You aren't running off again, right?"

"No, Kate, never again, but I fucking need to find Max, fucking now. Where would someone go here if they wanted to get away from everything?"

"...what...happened, Chloe?"

"There's no time right now, where, just give me some places and how to get there or, show me, or something, fast. Please... please", she was starting to cry, something Kate had never seen and could have never even imagined Chloe Price doing.

"..Chloe..where would she have gone, what..happened?"

"I don't know. I don't fucking know. I said something hella stupid and she ran off. I have to find her Kate, I have to, IhavetoIhavetoplease...Kate...pleaseIfuckedup..I", Chloe was starting to run words together, she was starting to panic for real.

"Chloe, you need to calm down. Please. Help me help you. Take a deep breath."

Chloe tried, she couldn't, she was starting to have a panic attack, Kate had seen it plenty of times before in the last week.

"...Kate...can't...have to..find her."

Kate was genuinely considering calling someone qualified to handle this, but now she was worried about Max too, if Chloe was _this_ upset, it must have been bad.

"Maybe she went back to...your room...the cafeteria...the chapel, no that would be me...the courtyard...Chloe..I don't..know, there are so many places. Let's check your room."

"...alright", Chloe gasped.

She followed Kate, somehow keeping up, but she was still losing her grip. At one point she put her hand on Kate's shoulder and squeezed, Kate got the message and slowed down a little. When they did make it to Chloe's room, they found it empty.

"Oh, no", Kate said.

"...FUCK", Chloe managed to yell.

"Let's check to the cafeteria, i'm sure she's alright Chloe...I know she is."

Kate took Chloe's hand and led her towards the elevator, Chloe was squeezing it, desperately, but there was a certain weakness to her grip, Kate noticed. She prayed for her and for Max. She was moving quickly, starting to worry, herself, but slower than Chloe had been sprinting, Chloe was somewhere else, crying and muttering to herself. Kate felt absolutely awful for her, whatever had happened. She just prayed that Max was alright. She wanted to get Chloe some help, but she also knew Chloe well enough to know it was a better idea just to help with what she asked.

They were nearing the cafeteria. Kate really, really hoped Max would be there. She didn't want Chloe to get any more worked up.

"Kate..I..messed up...Max...is going to...to...hate me...I", Chloe was terrified, Kate could tell.

"Chloe, Max...loves...you. That's not going to happen. I don't know what happened, but I know Max", she was trying to comfort her, but she also wasn't really sure what was going on, between them or why she had run off.

They entered the cafeteria, Kate looked around, but didn't see Max anywhere. Victoria was sitting with a cup of coffee and a fashion magazine of some kind, she heard Kate call her name and caught sight of them entering the room, she called over to Kate, she didn't know how to feel about the blue haired girl, but she knew something was up, she saw the distress on the girl's face and... _oh shit_ _ **was**_ _that Max, outside?_

"Victoria", Kate called, "have you seen-"

"Oh shit, lover's quarrel?", Victoria interrupted, Chloe cringed and made some sound that might have been a whimper or might have been a "fuck you", "shit, that sounded much bitchier than I meant it to be, I didn't mean anything, I just-"

Victoria had seen someone in the courtyard when she had gone out for a smoke earlier, but she couldn't make out who it was from the side she was on, it looked like they were crying, she thought she saw Max's bag, but she wasn't sure, so she let it go, she also didn't really know how to approach even a happy Max, after everything that had happened.

"It's alright, Victoria, have you seen Max anywhere? We _need_ to find her", Kate asked hurriedly.

"I think I might have seen her in the courtyard, a few minutes ago, I went outside for a cigarette...I only smoke occasionally, by the way...and I saw someone sitting in the corner, but it was too dark to tell who...it...looked like they were crying, though", she eyed Chloe.

Chloe ignored it, what Victoria had said snapped her back into reality a bit, "Kate...where is the courtyard, howdoIgetthere...from here, come on, Kate!"

"Chloe, calm down, it's down the hall to the left of here, and then you make a right and there is a set of double doors that go out-"

Chloe had already taken off.

"What the hell was that about?", Victoria asked.

"I'm...not sure, I just pray they are alright", Kate replied.

* * *

Max was all Chloe was thinking about now, she tore through the halls, the way Kate had said to go. She slammed through the doors to the courtyard. She looked around, there _was_ someone in the corner, it was dark, but she just _knew_ it was Max. She was still running. She hit the ground still running, landing hard on her knees, next to Max, who was sitting, facing the wall, sobbing lightly every few breaths, her knees pulled up to her chest.

Chloe tentatively put a hand on Max's shoulder, "Max...i'm...i'm so sorry. I'm a fucking idiot. I didn't mean to…I couldn't find you, I….", Max wasn't responding to Chloe, at all, it was like she wasn't even there. This chilled Chloe to the bone.

"Max...please…", Chloe pleaded, her voice betraying her desperation. She shook Max's shoulder weakly, it was supposed to be playful, but it was pathetic even to herself.

"Do you hate me, Chloe?", Max finally asked. Quietly. She sounded...broken. She still hadn't moved. Wouldn't face her. This chilled Chloe to the bone _and_ broke her heart.

"Max...i've never hated you. Ever."

"...but how? I abandoned you. Right after William...I...never knew you were in such bad shape, I knew I hurt you, but I didn't know you...the drugs...you hurt yourself...and now all this...everything...I took your father and your mother from you, Chloe. I fucking destroyed our home. I fucked everything up. Every. Last. Thing.", Max was crying again now. Extremely hard.

There was no anger in Chloe's mind or heart towards Max about any of that, even if there should have been. She simply loved the younger girl too much. And she knew that Max had only ever wanted the best for her, despite everything that had happened. And she herself wasn't entirely innocent in how they fell out of contact for all that time.

Chloe put her arms around the smaller girl, tightly.

"You should hate me, Chloe, you should, I hate me, for everything, I-"

"Max...I never, ever wanted you to know about the things I said before, I just...i'm still me, ya know? I can't always control my mind...or my mouth. Sometimes a switch just goes off and hella stupid shit comes out. I don't blame you. I don't. I think I probably would have been a mess no matter what, after dad and everything-"

"But I should have been there, I should have called or written or-"

"Max...look at me."

Max finally turned her head, meeting Chloe's gaze, her eyes were red and puffy.

"Max. There are so many things we should have done or could have done differently, or...whatever. I also should have fucking tried harder myself, all those years. Do you know how many times I picked up the phone and couldn't do it? Or started driving up there and turned around? What matters is, you are here with me, right now. I don't hold anything against you. I fucking swear, I don't. I got upset. This is all still fresh to me. I can't really control my emotions very well. I've never been able to. I didn't mean to explode on you. I didn't mean to tell you what I did, though maybe it is better in the long run that you do know. But i'm trying. I'm trying so fucking hard. For you. And for me. And for everyone. I love you, Max. More than anything, I always have, and that is _never_ going to change. I think..that's why _I_ never...called or...anything. I was so scared that you had moved on...forgotten me. That I just...", Chloe didn't know where to go from here, she had used the last of her energy making those coherent sentences come out the way she needed them to.

"Chloe..I...never forgot you...I never moved on...I was scared too...I didn't know how to face you...after everything...I didn't...and then I tried to go back and I tried to make everything better for you..I even stayed in contact...but you got in an accident instead and you were paralyzed and it was so bad. Everyone was so bad. Everything was so bad. I actually thought that William might have been better having his happy memories of you instead of...that...Chloe you asked me to...help you..kill...yourself...in that timeline...I...I…-"

"Max. It's alright. I knew you did something. I figured that out. I don't blame you. I don't. Really. Because I know I would have done the same thing if the roles had been reversed. I can't lose you, not again", Chloe said seriously.

"And my 'head trips'...I...Chloe...there's another me...in my head...i've actually seen her...the first time was when I blacked out on the cliff..before...before…-"

"...what?", Chloe didn't really know how to take this one, she knew something bad was going on in Max's head, but for the first time, she considered it might be worse than what went on in her own.

"...you...saved me...that time...I was in the diner and she was talking to me and you came in and told her to fuck off...but she's still in my head...when I think...I hear her...my own..voice echo back...terrible things...all the things I did wrong...and sometimes...I blank out or dream and she's there...I want her to go away. I can't make her go away, Chloe. "

"Max…", she had a vague recollection of this scene in the diner, she had no idea how, or why, _what the actual fuck…_ "...Max...it's alright. I got rid of her once before...right? I'll get rid of her again, somehow."

"Chloe...how...she's...me...she's just…"

"She's a cunt that wants you to question yourself", Chloe said almost automatically, _she caused that nosebleed…_.. _why...how..do I know this?_

"...Chloe?"

"Max, I don't care. I don't care if she's real, or if she's your subconscious or some shit, all that matters is we're here, together. I promise you, i'll get rid of her somehow. Anything. Anything to make you feel better. I don't care if it's impossible. That never stopped me before."

"You...you...don't think i'm crazy?"

"Honestly, Max, we might both be fucking insane, at this point. I don't care though. I really fucking don't. As long as you're here, with me."

"Chloe…"

"Max, come here", she kind of forced Max out of her sitting position and embraced her, "i'm not going anywhere, ever again. I'll protect you. You always protected me. Even if it's from voices in your head. I promise. And don't take off on me like that, ever again. Now I know how you felt, i'm sorry. I love you, Max."

"Chloe..I love you too...so much...i'm sorry...for everything...I-"

"Max, it's okay. We're going to be okay. I know my promises don't mean much at this point, but I promise."

Max was surprised to find that her other voice didn't say anything. Her head was as clear as it...could be right now.

"Chloe..it's..getting fucking cold out here."

"I know. Want to go inside?"

"I...don't think I can stand up, my legs are asleep from…I kinda dazed out there...from…"

"Oh, in that case-", before Max had time to process what was happening, Chloe had picked her up and was carrying her towards the door.

"...Chloe I don't think you have to-", Max knew this was unnecessary and Chloe was in no shape for this..it was...ridiculous, but it was so totally...Chloe. Her Chloe.

"Hell of a honeymoon, huh Max?"

* * *

Chloe carried Max past the cafeteria, where Kate sat with Victoria, she had wanted to go check on them but thought it was best to let them work out….whatever had happened.

"So, Taylor was like…", Victoria trailed off, seeing Chloe carrying a protesting Max by the cafeteria entrance, "what the _fuck_ is going on."

Kate saw it too, and hurried out after them.

"Chloe, is she okay, is..", Kate asked.

"I'm alright, Kate, was that...Victoria…"

"Yeah, she's been here, but, Max…"

"I'm alright Kate. Really. Chloe, you can put me down...really. I'm alright."

"Nope. Never letting go. All that stuff", Chloe said flippantly.

Chloe wouldn't let her go until they got to the elevator. At some level Max was wondering what Kate must be thinking about this scene. Chloe still didn't let go, even when she had let Max walk on her own. Max was surprised to find Kate didn't ask. Kate followed them all the way to their room, making sure they were really alright, they both insisted, gently, that they were.

"Kate, what time is the...thing...tomorrow, David told me, but I kind of dazed out", Chloe asked, from the doorway of her room, sort of blocking the room from Kate and keeping Max in the room.

"11. By the way, I got what you asked...you know, it's surprisingly hard to find vitamin c tablets in a hospital, plenty of peroxide though...you...what are you doing with this...you aren't...making a bomb..or something...right?", Kate asked uncertainly.

"No..Kate. Just something I have to do. Meet me here with that stuff around 8, tomorrow morning, I hope it works, I might need your help."

"I don't even know what you're doing…"

"I know, it's okay, I don't either, really, rough idea though. Thank you for everything, seriously. I owe you big time."

"If anyone owes anyone.."

"Kate, it's fine. Call us even, okay? If you don't mind, I need some time alone with Max, we have some...things to...talk...about."

"...of course. I'll see you at 8."

"Thank you, Kate."

* * *

Whatever Kate thought was going to happen once she left, it was a lot more tame. Chloe simply lay down and pulled Max close to her, assuring her everything was going to be alright, and that she wasn't angry, until Max eventually fell asleep, peacefully.

"Nothing can break us up again", Chloe whispered, "not even a bitchy voice in your head...I'm supposed to be the bitchy voice around here."

She kissed Max's sleeping face gently, and settled next to her, eventually her own sleep came, a lot clearer and less nightmarish than it had been in a while.

* * *

Kate knocked on the door at exactly 8:00AM. Chloe was already awake, she never had been one for sleeping very much. She greeted Kate at the door. She then returned to Max and woke her up.

"Unfortunately, we gotta do this, Max. I have to say goodbye...somehow. This is as close as i'm gonna get", Chloe said, sadly.

"I know, Chloe. Sorry, I don't have anything more...formal, to wear, I have these black jeans, and I have a black t-shirt...uh, not very respectful but I didn't plan for…", Max didn't want to finish that sentence.

"It's fine Max, Mom would understand. If you don't mind, I have something I have to do, beforehand, that's why i'm up so early, you can go back to sleep for a little bit, Kate is going to help me with something."

Max didn't want Chloe to leave, she was scared to sleep without her, but she knew if Chloe said she had to do something, _and_ needed Kate's help, it had to be important.

"Uh, Chloe, can I ask you a weird favor…"

"As long as it doesn't involve my fingers or tongue...right now...yes."

"...Grow up..Chl-...no, just, can you leave your jacket or something...here, with me?"

"..I...alright, Max, here", she tossed the shirt she had been wearing the day before on the bed.

"Thank you."

"...but _why_."

"Just go do what you have to, i'll be fine."

"I...alright, Max."

She turned, grabbing her duffle bag, Max had brought their stuff in the night before, while Chloe was talking to David. And heading for the door, she stole a glance back at Max, who was hugging Chloe's shirt and settling back to sleep. This actually brought Chloe's spirits up, a little bit.

 _She's too fucking cute, goddamn._

* * *

"Okay, so Kate, i'm gonna need your help with this, you're gonna have to come in the shower with me."

"I'm...sorry?", Kate was dumbfounded.

"Look, Kate, you don't have to see me naked or anything, just, I need your help making sure I get this mixture right."

"I...alright...Chloe. What _are_ we actually doing, anyway?"

"Something that needs to be done, for this."

"...alright."

* * *

Max was asleep, she was having one of those dreams, where she knew it was a dream, but it wasn't bad. She didn't really know what was going on, but there was no other her, no dark room...Chloe was there, Kate too, and it was just...nice.

"Max...Max wake up, it's time..almost...wake up", Chloe was saying in her dream, before she recognized Chloe was actually saying it.

"Uhh, okay...hang on..i'm up..i'm-", she opened her eyes as she said this and then froze. She had no idea how to react to what she saw.

Chloe stood next to the bed, fiddling with...a tie? And…

"Chl...Chloe...your...hair", Chloe's hair was something like it's natural strawberry blonde color, close, not perfect, but close, though she still had one blue streak in the front, but her hair was combed back, in a boyish fashion and she was...wearing...a dark blue button up shirt, black jeans and a tie.

"Yeah, didn't mean to shock you, thought I should go natural for this, couldn't totally let go of the blue though, Kate tried to convince me otherwise, once she figured out what we were doing, but, Mom would understand."

"Chloe….you look…", beautiful was one word, _handsome_ would be a more accurate word.

"Horrible? I know. Dad's shirt is a little big, but, and i'm actually wearing a tie, this feels..weird, but-"

"No, you look...amazing I-", Max was up quickly, for the first time in a week she reached into her bag, and grabbed her...William's...camera. She snapped a picture of this new Chloe straightening her tie.

"Really, Max? Really?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist, you look so nice and I just...well, I am..was..a photographer."

"...alright, i'll let this one slide, Caulfield."

"Thanks", Max said, happily.

"Get dressed, let's get this over with."

"Alright, Chloe. I'm here for you, you know that, right?"

"Of course", Chloe said confidently.


	12. Ceremony

**Max had dressed and done her best to make herself look...nice. As much as she could with a black t-shirt, black skinny jeans and sneakers, anyway. Chloe had gone to lengths though, and Max figured that made up for her lack of ability to wear a...dress...or something. When she was going through her clothes, she realized she didn't know where Chloe's necklace was, she had picked it up before Chloe had stormed out of David's tent, and Chloe hadn't asked about it since, though she felt around her neck awkwardly sometimes, like she felt like something was missing. She didn't want to bring that up and risk Chloe getting more upset, and she didn't know if Chloe wanted it anymore, she had kind of enough experience with bullets for a lifetime. Still, it had been important to Chloe, so Max felt bad. She would tell her later, when this was over with. Chloe had been surprisingly...stable. She was obviously upset, but she was not acting like the same person that led Max on a car chase and into the woods upon hearing the news a few days before. They had a little bit of time before the service actually began and were sitting outside the chapel. To Max's knowledge, Chloe hadn't smoked today.**

"Hey, you doing okay?", Max asked Chloe.

"As okay as I can be", she squeezed Max's hand, "I feel...more nervous than anything. Like this is my last chance to say goodbye, ya know? I know this isn't even a real funeral, it's just going to be a priest and Kate and David talking about her, and some pictures, but...it's something. I don't even believe in this shit, don't tell Kate, but, it's something."

"I think Kate knows, Chloe, but she doesn't judge."

"She knows more than you think, actually", Chloe said with _that_ tone.

"What...us...how?"

"Fucking divine intervention."

"Well, then you really don't have to worry about what she thinks about your thoughts on religion", Max laughed, blushing a little.

* * *

Max was still adjusting to Chloe's appearance. The blonde hair almost reminded her of a timeline she'd rather forget, but more, it reminded her of Chloe as she had been five years ago, even if it was much shorter and still had a blue streak in it. Max thought maybe the blue streak made it. A mix of the new and the old. Past and present.

Kate and...Victoria, to Max's surprise came into the small sitting area. Kate wearing her typical clothes, but she always dressed nicely. Victoria was a little overdone, but she tried to keep it somber, at least.

"Chloe, are you holding up okay?", Kate asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm...alright. Kate. I'm not happy. But. I'm not storming out or smoking myself to death."

"...your hair…it's not blue...well, not all of it", Victoria started, realizing this was the first time she had ever really talked to Chloe, not counting the remark she hadn't even meant to make last night.

"Yes, Chase, I woke up like this, crazy, I know, i'm actually horrified", Chloe retorted sarcastically.

"You know me?", Victoria asked, surprised.

"I'm always watching and listening. Everywhere. At. All. Times.", Chloe said maniacally. She was obviously delighted she had a new victim to torment, even if this wasn't the time.

Max knew that humor was how Chloe coped though, even if it was... _Chloe's_ idea of humor. She just smiled and nudged Chloe in the ribs playfully.

"Max, she creeps me out a little...sorry", Victoria said, in a mock-hushed voice.

"I aim to please", Chloe said, leaning towards her, in the same sarcastic tone.

"Guys, come on. Stop. Victoria, how are you doing, I haven't seen you since...before, really", Max decided to interject before it got serious.

"I'm alive. I'm alright, I guess. Kind of weird losing all my friends and being stuck here but, Kate has really helped me a lot. Actually, I think she might be the best friend i've ever had."

Max winced a little, she was still the cause of...all of that, she pushed it out of her mind, for now. Kate didn't know how to react, so just smiled.

"When did you guys become such good friends?", Max asked, genuinely wondering how the fuck that happened.

"We started talking a couple days ago, I ran into her accidentally, actually. I wanted to apologize for...everything, anyway. And i've just kind of stuck with her since then."

"...Huh.", was all Max could say.

"Victoria is actually really sweet, Max", Kate said, "she came to pay her respects, too."

 _First Chloe and David, now Victoria and Kate, wowser,_ Max thought.

"Wonderful, everyone is a happy family, where is David?", Chloe asked, a little hurriedly.

"I think he's in there already, talking to the father", Kate said.

"Oh, in that case, I need to talk to him for a sec, i'll be right back", she stood and disappeared behind a stained glass door, leaving Max alone with Victoria and Kate.

"Max how are you doing? I know you were very close with Joyce", Kate inquired.

"I'm…", she remembered the talk she had with Chloe last night " _I don't blame you, for anything", "_ i'm holding up. I need to be strong for Chloe, anyway. She's lost so much."

"I know, her father and now this...I feel awful, at least she has you", Kate said, encouragingly.

"Alright, Max I know this isn't the ideal time but...I can't help it, I need to know, how did it happen?", Victoria cut in.

"Hush, Victoria, you said you weren't going to ask", Kate said.

"I know, I know but...i'm curious, I just…"

"How did what happen?", Max asked, acting like she didn't know what Victoria was talking about.

"You...and...her...are you guys like, official?"

"Yes, Chase, i'm fucking her poor little brains out, in fact I think that's what happened to my hair, I must have sweat the color out, it's that good, i'd tell you for sure if the carpet matched the drapes but, I don't have carpet at the moment", Chloe said from behind them, nobody had noticed she had re-entered the room.

Max and Kate blushed for two totally different reasons. Victoria was speechless.

"Lord…", Kate murmured, blushing from too much information.

"Jesus Christ…", Max muttered, blushing from embarrassment.

Victoria actually laughed.

"This is a holy place, stop it", Kate muttered, but she was laughing now too.

Chloe sat down next to Max again, "when I get you home, Max, i'm just going to-"

"CHLOE. ENOUGH.", Max said.

"Max…", Chloe said much more quietly.

"...yes?"

"I'm just fucking with you, I love you though, thank you for being here", she kissed Max deeply, in front of Kate and Victoria, "and thank you guys, too", she said, seriously, after she had let Max breathe again.

 _Is this how Chloe announces things?,_ Max wondered. Again, she knew this was Chloe's coping method, Chloe seemed genuinely amused by their discomfort, though.

"...it's...nothing, she saved my life, Chloe", Kate said.

"And I knew her a little bit, from the diner, she was always so nice to me, and she saved Katie here", Victoria added.

David came through the stained glass door at that moment, just missing Chloe's public display of affection.

"It's time, girls", he said in a somber tone, before returning through the door. Kate followed him. Victoria followed Kate, as she had been for the last several days.

"Are you alright, Chloe, really? What was that?"

"No secrets, remember? But, I don't know, ask me again afterward, okay?", her tone was much more somber now too. She stood and took a deep breath. Max stood and hugged her.

"Alright, let's do this", Chloe said.

* * *

The service was nice, as far as that kind of thing went, as far as Chloe knew. Some more people from town that had known Joyce were already seated inside. Some more came in after Chloe and Max. The preacher did his routine, Chloe actually found some of it comforting, even if she didn't agree with everything he said. Kate spoke a bit about Joyce, and recited some of her favorite psalms. David did his best to keep himself together as he told how they met and how much she'd helped him with his issues after the war he also mentioned how much of her he saw in Chloe and that he was proud of her. Max was spared speaking, she had a suspicion that was part of what Chloe had talked to David about. She would have loved to, but she still felt _so_ guilty. And then, to Max's surprise, Chloe rose and went to the front of the chapel, stepping up to the small altar, where a beautiful photo of Joyce was displayed. Chloe turned to face the room and began to speak.

"Hello. Everyone. I'm Joyce's daughter, Chloe. Some of you know me. Some of you are probably horrified of me. And I don't blame you. But we aren't here to talk about me. We're here to talk about Joyce...Mom. I just wanted to say, because I know I didn't nearly enough in her life, that I loved her. So much. And I always will. I always did. I'm sorry for all my fu-...messups. And I'm sorry I pushed her away so much. I didn't mean to. I was lost. Confused. I should have taken her help. And I wish I could have helped her. I'm not good with words, but, i'm going to try to live my life the best I can, for her. And i'm going to make up for my mistakes, somehow. I wish it had never come to this, I truly, truly do. But all I can do now is carry on for her", Chloe had tears streaming down her face the entire time, but she never lost her focus, and Max, along with everyone else, felt every word. She then did something Max didn't expect at all. She turned to face the picture, and she hung her bullet necklace over it, like dog tags at a military funeral, she wiped her eyes as she faced the room again, "that might seem...morbid. To some of you...considering how she...but, that necklace was given to me by a very good friend, and it got me through a lot, i've worn it every day since, until a few days ago. She's no longer with us, either. And I hope somewhere, Joyce is taking care of her now...or she's taking care of Joyce. I want to leave this here, with her, as I told my step...father, and for it to go with her, when a real funeral is possible. So a little part of me, that she knew, will always be with her. All I have to say now, is, I love you, Mom. I hope you knew how much. I should have been a better daughter, so i'm going to try to be a better person. Thank you, again, everyone that made this possible, Kate...David, and thank you Max, for being with me every step of the way. Joyce loved you, all."

David was the first to clap. And then Kate. And then Max. And then everyone else. Chloe suddenly looked embarrassed, she nodded and then returned to her seat next to Max, she squeezed Max's hand. They listened as a few more people spoke, but nothing really matched what Chloe had just said and done. Max was proud of her, so proud of her, despite the horrible circumstances. Max couldn't control her own tears, she hadn't been able to since the necklace came out, but she still looked at Chloe and smiled.

* * *

Afterwards, Max and Chloe sat in the courtyard, Max on the bench of a picnic table, scribbling in her journal and Chloe on the table itself, she had unbuttoned the shirt revealing a blank black tank top and to Max's surprise, one of Kate's crosses around her neck, it looked completely out of place and perfect at the same time. The tie was wrapped around her head like a bandana.

 _Well, she looked formal for an hour, that's gotta be a record,_ Max thought. She wouldn't have it any other way.

Chloe was actually reclined on the table, her arm behind her head, one knee bent, one leg hanging off the table, looking at the sky, _so blue,_ a cigarette in the other hand, her first one today and even that, was progress. She told Max she was going to cut back and usually she'd have smoked half a pack by now. Max could let her have this one.

"Chloe, where did you get that cross?"

"Huh? Oh, Kate gave it to me, I mentioned i'd lost my necklace and she insisted, though I didn't really want to take it because I don't really believe...well, I don't know what I believe anymore, but not that. Then I found mine in the pocket of your hoodie and and I knew what I had to do with it. So, don't worry, i'm not going all bible freak on you, but my neck felt...naked and this will be a reminder of...everything."

"It suits you...somehow."

"Bite me."

"...maybe, later", Max said, blushing a little.

"Ooh, I like the sound of that", Chloe teased, then her tone got more serious again, "Did I do a good job, earlier, Max? I tried my best. Do you think mom would have been proud?"

"Yes, Chloe. You did. And she would be. I am. I'm so proud of you-"

"I'm proud of you, too", David said, scaring the hell out of both of them, Chloe almost choking on her cigarette.

"CHRIST, DAVID!", she started, sitting up, "don't sneak up on us like that."

"I'm sorry, Chloe, I didn't mean to. I just wanted to tell you that what you said and did back there, that was beautiful, your mother would be proud", he said, earnestly.

"I hope so, David, I really do", Chloe said back, softly.

They continued their chat, perhaps both looking for some kind of closure, or maybe for the first time, just the comfort of each other.

* * *

Max was quiet. She was wracked with guilt. She put on a brave face this morning, for Chloe, but it was getting hard to deal with again. She wrote and scribbled in her journal trying to clear her head. Trying. Trying. Try-

 _ **How beautiful. If only it was a picture of us she was draping her necklace over.**_

 _Oh, so now you want us to die? GET OUT._

 _ **I think either us or her, would have sufficed. Like I said, "maybe", you should have just jumped off that cliff.**_

 _And what would that have solved, really? What the fuck would that have done?_

 _ **Maybe fate wanted someone...of value. Maybe you would have sufficed. Joyce would still be here. Maybe Chloe would be happy with her. Though, I suppose there is a way Chloe could still be happy with her. Don't worry, Maxine, she will relapse, you know it, I know it. She sounds so sure she's better now, but it hasn't been long.**_

 _No. She's done. Shut the fuck up. I'm not scared of you anymore. I'm not._

 _ **Then I wouldn't still be here.**_

 _Ugh._

 _ **Honestly, do you really believe she's not mad at you?**_

 _Yes. I do, because...because I trust her._

 _ **You trust that? My dog, Maxine. What are you doing to us.**_

 _Why don't you just fuck off. You have no reason to still be doing this._

 _ **Oh, but I do. And I always will. As long as our pathetic self clings to this world we've broken so badly.**_

 _Stop it._

 _ **The picture I showed you in the diner. You know it was real. You know it.**_

 _STOP IT._

 _ **So your blue bitch...well, mostly blue bitch, is pretending to be something she's not. Huge surprise there.**_

 _SHE IS TRYING. SHE REALLY IS. YOU WOULDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT._

 _ **I guess we wouldn't, would we. We're so fucking weak and easy to manipulate. Even when we had the power of a God. Bet you wish we could jump into photos now.**_

 _STOP. PLEASE._

 _ **Warn Joyce, even, somehow. But no, you can't now.**_

 _SHUT UP..._

 _ **Just wait until she has another freakout, Maxine, just wait. You know it will happen. She can't have been this stable for this long...pft, a couple hours...without...repercussions. You know all about those. Let me show you, actually.**_

Max was starting to see scenes in her head. People dying in the storm. People screaming at her. Blaming her. Joyce blaming her. William blaming her. Jefferson smiling in the Dark Room. Chloe blaming her. Every Chloe. The lighthouse being struck. The diner being torn apart. Joyce being shot. She saw herself at a funeral. She actually felt the autumn air. Joyce and David were beside her, a blue ribbon hung from a wreath next to a casket...the same blue as... _no_.

 _NO. NO. FUCK YOU. GET OUTGETOUTGETOUTGETTHEFUCKOUTGET-_

Max felt herself getting...fuzzy...dark…fading...her nose was bleeding profusely.

She heard Chloe calling her name from somewhere far away. David too. Then the darkness overtook her.

* * *

"...David, Mom would be proud of what you've done..and..well, you still have me. I know that _really_ isn't much, but-", Chloe had been saying.

"Chloe I...-oh my god, what's wrong with Max?", David said suddenly, hurriedly.

"What? She's fine, she's-", Chloe realized Max hadn't spoken in several minutes, she'd been so busy trying to pick the right words to say to David, she hadn't noticed. She looked over, there was blood all over Max's journal...and Max was...staring at her...blankly...blood poured from her nostrils, she then collapsed, backwards, off the bench, choking on her own blood.

"FUCK, DAVID, HELP ME GET HER UP!", Chloe screamed.

"MAX...CHLOE, WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?", he forgot himself, he was screaming too.

"I DON'T KNOW, GET HELP, GET HELP!"

"KEEP HER HEAD UP, DON'T LET HER CHOKE", David yelled, he was already moving, and through the double doors across the courtyard, into the hospital.

"Max, talk to me, say something...please", Chloe pleaded, holding Max's head up. She'd removed William's shirt and was trying to stop the blood with it, but Max just started choking through her mouth. Her eyes were closed and she was gripping Chloe's arm tightly, too tightly, then her grip loosened.

"MAX, TALK TO ME, PLEASE, OH MY GOD, STAY WITH ME, MAX, PLEASE", Chloe choked out through her own tears.

Max was unresponsive, she was still choking though, so Chloe knew she was, at least, breathing.

David reappeared with several people in white coats and scrubs and a gurney, they had Max on it before Chloe could even gather her thoughts, she never let go of Max's hand, through every hallway, every turn, every door. Until finally someone told her she couldn't go further, with them.

"Fuck you man, fuck you, let me through, LET ME THROUGH", she screamed at the doctor, nurse, whatever the fuck he was.

"Miss, please, your friend will be alright, we have to stop the bleeding right now though, you can't come into the-", she didn't let him finish talking.

"FUCK YOU, LET ME THROUGH, LET ME-", she had started to push her way past, but someone grabbed her, and then someone else, then another, and then David, all pulling her back, "FUCK YOU, LET ME THROUGH GODDAMMIT, LET ME THROUGH….MAX!"

"Chloe, please", David's voice. He waved the doctors and a security guard off, "it's going to be okay, she's going to be okay."

Chloe collapsed to the floor. To her surprise, David knelt beside her, and awkwardly hugged her.

"It's going to be alright, Chloe, they know what they are doing", he said, assuringly.

"We...don't...even know...what the...fuck...happened", Chloe choked out.

At some level, she knew what Max had told her about last night was involved, and she was already angry at herself for diverting her attention from Max for the time she did.

"...Chloe, it's going to be alright. It is", he tried again.

"Max...Max...i'm so sorry, I...I only looked away for a minute..I didn't", she, to David's surprise, buried her face in David's shoulder.

"Chloe, calm down. Whatever happened is not your fault. They know what they are doing, believe me."

"THEY DIDN'T SAVE MOM, DAVID."

The words stung him, but he stayed calm, Chloe was his only real family, now.

"This is different, Chloe, we caught this straight away, whatever it is, i'm sure she will be fine."

Chloe just made some kind of sound of defeat, and grabbed David even tighter. He didn't know what to do, so he just put his arm around her and tried to keep assuring her. Despite himself, he also hoped Max would be alright, he had taken a liking to the girl, and he knew how much...or part of how much, she meant to Chloe. And Chloe could not lose anything else without ceasing to function entirely. He knew this. For the first time in a long time, he prayed.


	13. When You Sleep

**Chloe hadn't slept in...days. Several. She didn't know how many. If the world ended outside the hospital, she wouldn't've known. She spent her time in a chair, next to an unconscious Max, talking to her, occasionally singing, she remembered Max said how much she'd enjoyed that back in her room at Blackwell, and crying. Occasionally, when Kate or Victoria, 101 was open again, but Victoria was still hanging around, or both, would sit with her for a few minutes, she was outside smoking. This was becoming more and more frequent. She hadn't eaten. She hadn't slept. She'd simply sat next to Max, begging for her to wake up, trying to make deals with God, and cursing him when it didn't work, and her occasional smoke breaks, which were becoming smoking entire packs in half a day, again. At this point she was buying packs off of nurses, patients, visitors, whoever had them, with Wells' money. The strong facade she'd managed to build crumbled to the ground the moment Max had.**

 **The doctors couldn't tell her exactly what had happened, aside from a badly ruptured sphenopalatine artery, Chloe didn't even know what that was and had freaked at the words "ruptured artery", until they told her it was the cause of the massive nosebleed and they had taken care of it. All they could tell her was that Max was in a coma. And that it could be related to tremendous stress, but Chloe could tell that they didn't actually know why. Max's vitals were normal, aside from some moments where they would spike, her heart and breath rate, dramatically, the doctors wrote this off as PTSD, from all that had happened, but they didn't know even the half of it. And Chloe did. When she'd asked how long until Max woke up, they gave their typical doctor runaround, "Stress...outside factors...internal factors…", in the end, Chloe knew the answer was "We don't know, stop asking us every time you see us, we don't really care, we have a lot more serious matters to be taking care of.", maybe part of that was was in her head, but the "We don't know.", certainly wasn't. Even David would come by and check in when he had a moment.**

 **Chloe was becoming dangerously close to instability, she'd been holding it together the same way she'd been holding onto hope, clawing at it and beating it into submission, but she was was starting to lose her strength.**

 **She recalled a line from a comic she had loved as a younger teenager, "** _All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy_ " **, and it had been far more than one day.**

* * *

"Chloe, you need to eat, sleep...anything. Max will pull through this", Kate had been saying.

"No. I need to be here", Chloe was saying, again, this had become all she would really say to anyone.

Kate almost pointed out that during her "walks", which Kate knew were smoke breaks, she wasn't "here", but she didn't want to upset Chloe further. During one of these, Chloe had been gone for longer than usual, and when she returned her hair was wet and completely, albeit messily, blue again, Kate didn't know about the dye in Chloe's truck, she didn't ask her about it, she told Victoria, outside, not to bring it up either. She knew Chloe had run off and wound up admitted herself when she received the news about Joyce. She really couldn't imagine how hard Chloe must have been taking this, coming right off of Joyce's service. And because she didn't know Chloe like Max did, she _really_ couldn't imagine how hard she was taking it, or the consequences if her last shred of sanity was broken, which even Kate could tell was wearing thin. She'd tried bringing Chloe food, but it just sat, untouched. Occasionally coffee would be gone. Kate would bring enough for herself, Chloe and Victoria, if she was around, and Chloe would drink it all, black.

"Chloe, I need to get back, I really do, i'm sorry, i'll be by later, tonight, please, eat something, at least", Kate really hate leaving Chloe like this, she really, really did.

"Is eating going to bring her back, Kate?", Chloe's tone scared Kate a little. She also wasn't sure if she meant Max, Joyce, or both. Her instinct said both.

"...Chloe, everyone is doing everything they can, Max is strong, she will get through this, and so will you."

"You have no idea how strong, Kate. No idea at all. And, no, I don't know if I will."

Even Kate could tell that Chloe's limits were being tested.

"Just...be there for her, Chloe. I'm sure she knows you're here."

"That's what i've fucking been doing, Kate. I don't think she knows anything, right now", Chloe's tone was...Chloe, but there was an unhinged element that chilled Kate to the core.

Kate sighed, "I'm sorry, Chloe. I don't know what to say to you, I never do."

"Nothing, maybe."

"...Alright, i'll still be by later."

"Right."

Kate sighed again.

She left the room, staying outside the door for a moment, listening.

" _...tonight I'll dream while I'm in bed, when silly thoughts go through my head…"_

Chloe was singing, softly. She did this often, when she thought nobody was around, and somehow it comforted Kate, as well as Chloe herself, she desperately hoped Max could hear it, too.

"... _and when I wake tomorrow I'll bet...that you and I will walk together again…."_

Kate felt a tear, and wiped it away. _Please Lord, help her. Help them both._

* * *

" _...I can tell that we are gonna be friends..."_

Chloe sighed.

"Max, you're gonna have to wake up soon, i'm running out of songs that wouldn't give you nightmares. I hope you aren't having any of those. I hope you're dreaming about good things. How about our pirate fort? That time we stole Joyce's wine? Some good things that happened in Seattle, maybe? Just, anything but nightmares, okay?"

Max said nothing. She hadn't in a long time. Too long for Chloe.

"...if you wake up now, you can send me all the emoji you want, okay? Like, when I get a phone again. You can send me messages that are just emoji…"

Chloe was crying again. She didn't in front of Kate, Victoria, David...but when she was alone with Max, she did. She didn't know how she could even still be crying, she had been so much for... _how long has it been? I don't care._

This had very much been as things had been for the last couple days. Chloe didn't know how much longer she could take it.

* * *

 **Max heard her alarm. She ignored it, as she had for the last week. Since the funeral. She had no desire to wake up. Get up. Function.**

 **She eventually dragged herself out of bed, more onto the floor, and got up from there. Her Blackwell dorm room had become a mess. Clothes, pictures, whatever could be strewn everywhere, was, she kicked an empty bottle across the floor, accidentally, her head pounding from the night before, as it had been every morning for the last week. She had stopped going to classes entirely, she suspected one of the envelopes under her door was a suspension notice or a scholarship termination, she didn't really care though. She hadn't changed her clothes since she had dyed her bangs blue, the last time she'd showered. She put on the bullet necklace and pulled her sneakers on. She turned and headed for the door, accidentally kicking a box over.**

"Shit", she muttered, she didn't bother looking down, didn't care, until she heard a crunch beneath her sneaker. She looked down. She stepped on her…William's camera. She stopped and bent down, to pick it up, as she did she saw one of the photos that had fallen out of the box, with the camera.

Chloe. Smiling. Happy.

"I'm so sorry", Max whispered to the photo, she couldn't even cry at this point.

She put the photo back in the box, and actually stopped to put everything else back too, purposely not looking at the pictures. She continued out the door.

"Oh look, it's Johnny Rotten."

"Fuck off, Victoria", Max said flippantly, still walking.

She passed Alyssa and Brooke, paying no attention to them. Dana's music could be heard in the hallway. She continued out of the dorms. Kate was entering as she was leaving.

"..Max...i'm so, so sorry...I can't even imagine-"

"No, Kate, you can't", Max said, forcing her way past.

"Max, i'm sure she's happy now, wherever she is. I'm sure she's looking down on you."

"I seriously fucking hope not", Max replied, the guilt, oh, the guilt, "I hope she found Rachel or something and is happy somewhere other than here. Not looking down on the person who…."

"...who what, Max?"

"Forget it."

She walked away from Kate, onto the campus. She overheard whispers, a week, and still the whispers, the hushed voices.

" _...Nathan just shot her...yeah I know...I heard she went to Blackwell once too…"_

" _...That girl was a mess, I don't think she had very many friends, either…"_

" _...some more trash gone, I wonder if that bathroom is going to be like, haunted, or something…"_

Max ignored them, as she always did. Another version of herself might have intervened, but she herself had ceased feeling. Nothing but emptiness.

Thankfully Warren had backed way off since Max flat out told him that she loved Chloe, had always loved Chloe and was always going to love Chloe. Her only saving grace getting to the bus was David had been given grieving time, and was working with the police in investigating Jefferson. Max knew she'd probably have to see that piece of shit again, at trial, or something, she tried to push that out of her mind, like the whispers.

She got on the bus and headed to the same place she did every morning. She looked out the window, Arcadia Bay, beautiful, intact.

 _But what was the cost? What was the fucking cost? You died for all of us, and you get called trash by people who didn't even know you. Was it really fucking worth it?_

She got off at the Two Whales diner, like she did every morning. Someone had tagged

 **CHLOE PRICE, THE HERO WE NEEDED BUT DIDNT DESERVE**

on one of the entrance doors, Max knew it must have been herself, but really didn't remember doing it, or anything after mid-afternoon of the past week. She found that alcohol was surprisingly easy to get, plus what Chloe had left in her room.

She entered and took the same seat she always did. Where she had sat with Chloe a week before, proving her power, which in the end, couldn't fix anything. Joyce came over to her, like she did every morning.

"Hey, Max", she started, "how are you holding up?"

"...alright...I guess…"

"I miss her too, Max. So much. But there is nothing you could have done, you have to stop beating yourself up over it. You hadn't seen her in five years, how could you have known what she was mixed up in?"

Joyce had no idea. None at all.

"...yeah...can I just get-"

"Coffee, got it. You need to eat something, one of these days, Max. Chloe wouldn't want you to waste away like this", Joyce said, in a motherly tone.

"I'll...eat later, Joyce. I'm..not very hungry", what she was, was very hungover.

"Alright, Max, just please start taking care of yourself, I know the look in your eyes, Chloe-…just, be careful, Max."

Joyce returned behind the counter. Max looked out the window at a perfect autumn day in Arcadia Bay, through her headache and bloodshot eyes.

 _This wasn't worth it._

* * *

"Chloe, hey...anything new?", Kate asked, carefully.

"I'm out of songs and I need to go for a walk", she said, standing, every joint in her body cracking, and turned towards the door.

"Alright...Chloe. I'll be here. I brought coffee...and some...food-"

"I'M NOT FUCKING HUNGRY, KATE", Chloe snapped, walking by her and out the door.

Kate sighed, she didn't take it personally.

Chloe walked briskly through the hallways, on her way to the courtyard. Her only real moments in the outside world were spent there, now. She needed a cigarette or ten and she was starting to seriously consider seeing if anyone in "Tent City", even though it was smaller than it was before, had any booze. She had sworn she was done, but Max wasn't really here right now, _she might not even be coming ba-_

Chloe stopped that thought before it could manifest, as she had been. But it was getting harder to push away. All of the loss was bearing down on her. She was losing her grip, and she knew it. And she was scared. For herself, for Max. She continued on until she was outside, lighting up immediately.

She looked up at the sky. It was dark, but there was still a blue hue to it.

 _The color follows me._

She looked at the stars and smoked her cigarette. And then another. And then another. This was the only thing keeping her from finding...medication...of some kind, somewhere around here. If booze had been accessible, she would be long gone already. She knew she needed to stop. But she also didn't know if her last reason to stop was ever coming back.

She sighed, and wiped more tears away. She tossed the cigarette away and started to head back. She was so tired. And not just from the lack of sleep. Tired of everything. Of existence. It had lost it's charm without Max in her life these past few days. She had genuinely meant every word she had said at Joyce's service, but all of the previous losses were now bearing down even harder on her. She

never counted on anything like this happening to Max. Max was so strong. Even in her weak moments, she was so strong.

Chloe was starting to feel less like Chloe Price and more like whoever she had become in Max's absence. A different shade of the same color.

 _Blue follows me._

She was already heading back to Max's room. Lost in her thoughts, fighting off her desire for some, any, mind-altering substance. She didn't even hope that Max would be awake when she got back anymore, she had given that up the day before. When she got there, she found Kate looking at her nervously, Chloe already knew why, Max's vitals had spiked again, there was a nurse checking monitors and meters, but Chloe knew that whatever was happening, it was something going on in Max's head, and Chloe didn't know if she, or anyone else, could help her.

And all of this brought the thought to Chloe's mind again. _That_ thought.

 _Was I really worth all of this?_

* * *

Max had taken the bus as close to the lighthouse as it went and had walked the rest of the distance, as she did every day. She hated that she did this to herself. But she also found that she didn't care much anymore. There was some small comfort in being here, where they both had been, where Chloe had become everyone's "everyday hero", in another time. A time that nobody but her would remember. Ever. She pulled another bottle from her bag and opened it. She found that whiskey didn't burn her throat anymore. Or it did, and she just didn't notice anymore.

"You had to do it. You just had to be the hero. In all our comics, you somehow wound up the hero, and when the time came, you had to play hero for real", Max said, to nobody.

She was sitting on the bench, where she had warned Chloe of the storm, what seemed like an eternity ago.

"You had to have the last laugh, as always. I bet you're laughing your ass off, somewhere. 'Ha, hella saved you all, and you don't even know', fuck you Chloe, this wasn't what was supposed to happen. I should have been able to save everyone. Especially you. The person who actually needed to be saved in this hellhole town."

She held Chloe's necklace to her chest with one hand, and the bottle with the other. She wondered if this was how Chloe had felt, for all of those years. This emptiness. All this thought caused was another swig from the bottle.

She decided it was time to go wait for the next bus and finish this bottle in the comfort of her room. She stood, unsteadily, but sat right back down when she saw someone coming up the path. Even in her inebriated state, she knew it was Rachel Amber. That face was unmistakable. So was the feather earring, and she wore the same clothes Max had borrowed all those days ago. She found herself questioning reality, despite her drunkenness and her demeanor of not really caring anymore _so much like Chloe_.

"...what...the...fuck...how is this possible", she muttered to herself, despite that, Rachel apparently heard her and replied as she sat next to Max.

"It's possible because you're really treading the line here, Max."

"You...you're dead...you're.."

"And you're drunk", Rachel replied calmly, as she took the bottle from Max. She looked at it for a moment, before taking a sip herself. She looked out over the bay, her expression was calm, but her eyes betrayed her sadness. She then threw the bottle off the cliff, with surprising strength. She was the same size as Max herself, but even skinnier, if that was possible.

"Hey! I need that..I..-"

"You don't need that. Chloe didn't need that. I didn't need that. What you need, is to wake up."

"I am awake...at least...I thought...I was...until you...how are you...how the fuck are you-"

"Unfortunately, i'm really here, you on the other hand, you are only partially here."

"What the fuck are you talking about?", Max was confused, she would have been even if she were sober.

"It's not really important, what's important is you that don't sleep through your alarm tomorrow morning, like you have every day this week."

"How the fuck do you know what I did this week?"

Rachel sighed. She felt like she had _just_ had this conversation, with Chloe.

"Max, I can't say exactly what is going on. You're going to have to trust me. I'm getting really tired of being sent to fix this, though I suppose it is all my fault."

Max had no idea what the first part of this meant, but she latched into the latter.

"Yeah, it is, if you had tried harder maybe Chloe would be here, she wouldn't have-"

"Max, I know what she did", Rachel said calmly, "I also know what _you_ did, and looking at you now, i'm pretty sure it was the right decision."

"CHLOE DYING WAS THE RIGHT DECISION? I THOUGHT YOU WERE HER FRIEND, HER-"

"I was her friend, Max. But nothing more, that was you, that was always you."

Max was somehow starting to cry again, "Why are you telling me this? Why? WHY?"

"Just get up when your alarm goes off the first time tomorrow, please."

" _ **That's not going to happen."**_

Max's voice, more sinister though, it chilled Rachel. Rachel looked over and found..two Max's. One was the half drunken, somewhat blue haired one she'd been talking to, the other one just looked like...Max.

"Who the fuck are you?", Rachel asked, her cool demeanor wasn't broken, but it was nearing it's limit.

" _ **I'm everything that should have been done. Could have been done. I'm-"**_

"Get out", Rachel said sternly.

" _ **Yeah, that's going to work, I-"**_

"GET. OUT.", Rachel repeated.

" _ **Nobody ever listens to me…"**_

Max, the real Max, was sitting silently, slowly looking from herself to Rachel and back again, she was shaking violently.

"You aren't supposed to be here, leave. Get the fuck out of here, whoever or whatever you are", Rachel was losing her calm.

" _ **Yeah, like I said that isn't going to work."**_

Max's nose was bleeding. She was shaking.

"You have no reason to be here. I know what you are now. This is what you wanted."

" _ **Who do you think guides those bottles to my mouth?"**_

"You're just a manifestation of guilt, doubt, that is _all_ you are, you have no power here."

" _ **I have all the power here, Amber. All of it. You are in my head, not the other way around...though I guess you don't really have one of those anymore, do you...wait, what the hell are you doing?"**_

"Sorry about this Max...and Chloe, really, I am. Max, GET UP WHEN THE ALARM GOES OFF TOMORROW", Rachel said, putting her hand on Max's shoulder. Max's head slumped down, unconscious, "I'll take care of this."

* * *

Chloe had fallen asleep in her chair, for the first time in days, she was woken by Kate and Victoria entering the room.

"Huh, i'm awake, i'm-", she started.

"Chloe, it's okay", Kate said.

"...how long was I out?"

"A few hours."

"AND YOU DIDN'T WAKE ME UP, YOU DIDN'T-"

"Chloe. Calm down. You needed to sleep, you really, really did."

"Ugh", she grunted and looked over at Max, still unconscious.

Max's vitals were climbing again. Soon a nurse was in the room, again.

"Her heart rate is escalating faster than it ever has before, this-", the nurse was saying. And then it happened.

A flatline.

"WHAT THE FUCK, NO, FUCK", Chloe started, shoving the nurse out of the way and kneeling next to Max, "No. Nonononononononofuckfuckfuck. Don't do this to me, don't fucking do this to me, Max. Don't leave me. Please. Do not leave me."

The nurse was calling for someone already, Chloe cried, Victoria had left, unable to take it, Kate watched, not really willing to accept what she was seeing.

* * *

Max's alarm was going off, " _GET UP WHEN THE ALARM GOES OFF TOMORROW",_ the words echoed in her pounding head, she didn't know who had said them, and not really knowing why, she opened her eyes. To a hospital room. Her vision was blurry, but she saw something blue to her right, vividly blue.

Chloe was beside her, crying, her hand locked around Max's own, her face buried in the bed.

"...Chl...Chloe? Is that...really...you...I-"

Chloe looked up, she looked horrible, her eyes were bloodshot, she was even more pale than usual, which Max wouldn't have thought possible. There were dark circles under her eyes.

"MAX? OH MY GOD...I…", Chloe's words devolved into choked sobs and she embraced Max, IV's and all, grabbing her more tightly than she ever had before, "...you...almost left me...I was...so...you...are you back for good...I...oh god, Max, I love you...I love you so fucking much, I couldn't...if you didn't pull through this...I...was ...coming after you, somehow, someway…"

A team of doctors was about to enter the room, but Kate stopped them, and just pointed to the now awake Max and Chloe embracing her.

They still had to do their tests, and everything, but Chloe kept getting in the way. Refusing to let go of Max. Surprisingly they let her stay, at Kate's insistence. When they were done, they left the room and there was a silence for a moment.

"Chloe, I...talked to...Rachel...I...she-"

"...what...how? The...flat..line...I...Oh my god."

"Chloe...it was...horrible...I was...back in Arcadia, but you were...gone...I was...such a mess...I-"

"I know, Max, I can imagine, believe me, I fucking can, but i'm right here and i'm never fucking leaving."

"I can attest to that, Max, Chloe has been here the entire time, you've been out for almost four days, and Chloe never left your side", Kate said, Chloe silently thanked Kate for covering for her smoke breaks.

"Chloe...we have so much to...talk about...I saw-", Max started.

"Max, not right now, please, please just let me have you, right now, just know you are here. I can imagine you have a lot to tell me, especially if Rachel..was...just, not right now. Right now I just need this…", she climbed into the bed and buried her face in Max's neck, mimicking what Max had done the night of her first nosebleed since the choice had been made, "just to know you're here."

Kate left them alone, she wasn't disturbed or made to feel awkward by this, she understood it, perfectly.

There were questions, and stories and answers that all needed to be talked about, but that could wait, for now.


	14. Leaving Tomorrow

**It had been over a week since the storm. Arcadia Bay was far from fixed, and wouldn't be for months, if not years to come. Maybe not even then. Still, the shock among some was fading, people were being relocated, the roads were mostly open again, Tent City would be prominent for a long time to come, but it was more organized and focused now that search and rescue missions were nearing their end. People staying there were leaving Arcadia, or returning to their homes to recover what they could and begin rebuilding. The injured list was still a mile long, the hospital was going to be packed for a long time. Some people had never been found at all. But, David's search parties, local authorities, FEMA and Red Cross together had ensured the toll was not nearly as bad as it** _ **could**_ **have been. Still, a heavy, heavy price had been paid. And everyone involved felt some guilt. Be it survivor's guilt, the guilt of not having been able to have done more, or feeling like they had somehow brought the storm on their home. But nobody felt it as hard as Max Caulfield and Chloe Price. In a very direct way, they had all of those things, but in another, they were bigger victims than anyone in this. Life is strange that way.**

Max had just finished talking to her parents on the phone and was waiting for Chloe to come back to her room. She once again had to apologize for not staying in contact, she kept the details of her comatose state to a minimum, instead saying she'd been sleeping off the worst of the effects of the stress from the storm and everything and had been stressed and busy since last time she talked to them, thankfully she had texted Vanessa Caulfield shortly before...whatever had happened to her. She knew they probably didn't buy it, but, a matter for another time. Thankfully, Max being 18, they hadn't called her parents straight away when it happened, Chloe had seen to that, with some help from Kate, they didn't want to put the Caulfields through any more stress or heartache. Chloe had actually intended to call them, but she couldn't work up the nerve. Not with the condition Max was in and...it had been...so, so, so long since she'd talked to them. She didn't know how to deal, no matter how they reacted. Chloe was heading back to Max's room early in the morning, only she had just gone for coffee and some pancakes to bring back for Max and herself. The morning after Max had woken up, her pack of cigarettes went in the garbage and she hadn't replaced it. She had started buying gum from people, after running the vending machines dry, to distract herself from the lack of nicotine.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty", Chloe said, entering the room.

"I thought you were Sleeping Beauty and I was Prince Charming, you dork."

"Oh, how the roles have reversed", Chloe said. She sounded like Chloe. "Good" old Chloe, "So how did Ryan and Vanessa take it?"

"I pulled a _you_ and left a lot out, but alright, considering."

"I take offense to that, Caulfield, I would _never_ do something like that", Chloe said, sweetly.

"Riiight….so, Chloe, how are you doing...really?"

"Well, I have my girlfriend back, David isn't a complete prick anymore...buuut, my lungs want to kill me and hug me at the same time, my arm is starting to scar up, I want to be out of Arcadia, like, yesterday, and still..mom..and...all...of this mess, but _considering_ , alright."

 _Girlfriend, it's so...official_ , Max thought.

"Girlfriend, huh?", Max said, blushing and giggling a little, despite the weight of the other things she knew were on Chloe's mind.

"Well, I mean, I love you and we fucked, so…"

"I am your girlfriend, Chloe. I'm just...yours, period."

"I know", Chloe sighed, happily.

Chloe walked over to the bed and kissed Max. She had been happier than she'd been anytime since the storm hit, since Max had woken up.

"So, when are you free from this medical prison?", Chloe asked.

"I should be getting discharged by tonight, I mean, days of getting prodded and test after test, and they still don't really know what happened, plus, I don't really know what happened. But everything seems fine with me now, though I still have a wicked headache."

"Aww", Chloe murmured and kissed Max's forehead.

"Why, are you in a hurry?"

"Well...I just thought maybe...we could...you know, hit the road soon", Chloe said, a little apprehensively.

"...Chloe...how would you feel about going to Seattle? Not for long, just so I could check in and...you know."

"Anywhere's better than here right now, Max. But...do your parents know...like...about...us?"

"...It didn't come up, actually. They were so worried that I hadn't called and everything, you know…"

"So, are you going to tell them, like, before...or…", Chloe sounded a little sad, _Promise me i'll never be your secret._

"Chloe...I think that is something I should tell them in person, I mean…"

Chloe tensed a little at this.

"Does David know?", Max asked.

"...I...well...uh…"

"Exactly."

"Alright, you win this one, Max. I am going to tell David, though, sometime soon."

"Oh, joy", Max said dryly.

"...I think he'll be..less than shocked", Chloe added.

"...maybe. So are we going to eat or talk about how we'll ever break the news to social media?"

"Pft, just eat your fuckin' pancakes, Max."

* * *

Chloe went for a walk while the doctors finished up trying to figure out what they were never going to figure out. The hospital staff also had no idea that Max had been leaving her room and hanging out with Chloe, Kate and sometimes Victoria in the courtyard in the evenings. Just talking. About their pasts, their futures, their plans from here. Just, talking. In a way, Chloe felt that she was going to miss this. As horrible as this whole thing had been, the hospital had become like a second, or third, home, in the wake of everything. With Kate, Victoria and David around. Their own dysfunctional little community. She wasn't going to miss it enough to not leave Arcadia, though. Especially with all the terrible things that had happened. Chloe decided she might as well just tell David now, it didn't really matter at this point anymore, plus if Kate and Victoria, who hardly knew her before this, had figured it out, he must have some idea. Chloe continued through the halls that had become too familiar in the last week, exiting through the lobby doors that had become too familiar this week, into the parking lot that had become... _yeah_.

She walked through Tent City, it was still a mess, but it was an organized mess. She thought perhaps that applied to herself, too. She _thought_ , anyway. She continued to David's post, hesitating outside a little.

 _I mean...there is no way he doesn't know something...plus, i'm a little more worried about his reaction to us leaving Arcadia…_

She took a deep breath and entered, seriously missing her cigarettes. She found David at his desk, on the phone. She thanked something for these extra moments to steel herself.

"Hello, Chloe, how are you doing today?", David asked, he was still obviously torn up over Joyce, but he was genuinely trying his best.

"Alright...David. Considering...everything. How are you holding up?"

"I..miss her, Chloe. I really do."

"I know, David, I do too. Believe me. But Mom would want us to carry on, you with helping everyone here and me...uh…well..."

"What is it, Chloe?"

"Uh...well...when we're ready...i'm probably going to go to...Seattle...with Max...see the Caulfields...and uh…", Chloe didn't really know how to approach this topic.

"Chloe...I will miss you, but as long as you're here, here with us, I mean...and happy...Joyce would want that...I want that."

"...Okay...so...don't freak out...I have something I need to tell you."

"What is it, Chloe?"

"...uh..well...Max...and I…"

"Yes?"

"We're...sorta...together…"

"Well, I know that, but…"

"No...I mean like... _together_...look, David, i'm just going to make this hella simple and level here, Max has done more for me than I can ever repay her for. And she's always been with me, no matter what. And I love her. I'm in love with her. I always was. Remember I said I was in love with Rachel and you said it was a phase? Well...Rachel may have been...but...Max...Max is not. I'm going to spend the rest of my fucking life with that girl."

"Chloe...I...don't even know how to react, though I guess I should have known. Look, I don't understand...that kind of thing...it's not how I was brought up...but if you're happy...and I do like Max, I really do. Especially compared to some other friends you've been mixed up with", he said as gently as he could.

"She does make me happy, David. More than anything or anyone else ever has. She always did. She always will. And she's a good influence, believe me. There is no one good enough for her, there really isn't."

"Then I guess you'll have to be on your best behaviour", David said, in a fatherly tone that caught Chloe off guard.

"...I..will be...I...thank you, David. This actually...really means a lot to me."

"You're my only real family now, Chloe. I want you to do what is best for you. And I know Joyce loved Max like a second daughter."

"She did, David, she really did."

"I don't think she'd be all that surprised, honestly."

"Probably not, David, probably not."

"I don't like that you are planning on leaving, but...I understand...just...can you do me a favor?"

"Yes, David."

"When you get wherever it is you're going, get a phone again, so you can stay in touch, and don't vanish forever, like I know you've wanted to."

"David...that is something I can do. I don't do the vanishing act thing anymore. It's a habit i'm trying to kick, along with others...by the way do you have any gum?"

"...no...I don't...anyway, where are you getting the money to do this?"

Chloe was stunned for a moment, she couldn't exactly tell David she stole five grand from Principal Wells.

"...Uh...i'd been saving up...to vanish again...and Max's parents know...they are going to help us a little", she said uncertainly.

"...Alright, Chloe", David said, not quite buying it, but not really wanting to risk breaking Chloe's stability streak.

"...David...thank you, for everything. We're obviously not leaving just yet, so don't worry, but...still..thank you for everything", Chloe said earnestly.

"Chloe, believe it or not, I only ever wanted the best for everyone. I know I fucked up, a lot. But I was trying."

"I know, David. Now, I do know that. And thank you."

* * *

Later on, when the sun was setting over Arcadia, Victoria did her thing, distracting the nurses at their station, while Chloe and Kate snuck Max out of her room and down a side hallway. Victoria rejoined them through an intersecting hallway. This had been the norm for the last few evenings. They were half running/half walking through the halls, Chloe had made some remark that made Max blush and Victoria laugh. Kate was silent, but looked complacent, as usual. They made their way to the courtyard and took over the table that still had some of Max's bloodstains on it. It was morbid, yes, but they felt they had left their mark on it, that it was theirs, it was in a corner, so it didn't draw much attention, either.

"You know, i'm actually going to miss this, sure it's cold as balls and it's not an ideal setting, but…", Chloe started.

"Don't get all sentimental on us, Price, it doesn't suit you", Victoria remarked, but it was lighthearted.

"...So guys, is this the last time we're gonna be doing this?", Kate asked, with a tinge of Sadness.

"Well, i'm going home, after tomorrow, until Blackwell reopens, but i'd love to visit you, Kate", Victoria said.

"When i'm done here, i'm going back to my parents' for a little while, not sure where after that, stay in touch though?", Kate asked timidly.

"Of course, Katie", Victoria said.

"Chloe and I are probably going to head up to Seattle, to see my parents and figure out what to do from there", Max said.

"But...you are coming back to Blackwell, right?", Kate asked.

"...I don't...know, Kate. Maybe. Maybe not. I've actually been thinking about that a lot. This town...is...it's my home, my real home, but after...Jefferson...and things I can't really…", Max looked to Chloe.

"...It's been...a hella insane fucking week, and I myself never really planned on staying in Arcadia Bay, as some of you might know. But...if Max were to come back, I guess I would have to, right Max?", she looked at Max, encouragingly.

"...I don't..know...I", Max murmured, even though the other voice had been silent since she woke up, she still felt the terrible guilt. Still had the nightmares.

"You're the best photographer of us", said Victoria, flatly, surprising the hell out of both Max and Kate. Chloe just smiled. "It would be a shame to let that go to waste if Blackwell finds a new teacher when they reopen, it really would."

"...I...thank you...Victoria...but I don't know...I might be done with that...I mean..Jefferson and…"

"Maxine Caulfield, you are _not_ done with that, I will not allow you to give up your dream", Chloe said enthusiastically.

"Chloe...I...I don't know...I really don't, how about we discuss this later...like…", Max trailed off. Chloe took the hint.

"Alright Max, I was just saying. So Chase, how do you keep finding makeup around here, like i've been seriously wondering how the fuck you manage that, I can't even find gum here anymore", Chloe said, diverting the conversation.

"I brought it all, and...hey, I don't wear _that_ much", she said, defensively.

The three non-makeup wearing girls looked at each other, then back at her.

"Right, Victoria", Max couldn't help but laugh.

"This is turning into the fucking Breakfast Club", Victoria said, but she was laughing too.

"This really is nice, i'm going to miss it too", Max said, with the same tinge of sadness.

"...guys, I have...an idea", Victoria started.

"Well? Spit it out, Chase, i'm getting old", Chloe remarked. She seemed physically unable to drop her sarcastic attitude around Victoria, the old Victoria would have taken offense to this, but now, she knew it was just how Chloe was.

"How about once or twice a year, we all get together again, like, not necessarily here, but we all get together, whatever we're doing, or wherever we are, and just...hang...like this. I mean, we've all kind of been in this together..."

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Victoria", said Kate.

Max felt that tinge of guilt, but agreed, "...I think that would be nice, actually."

"I keep trying to get out of Arcadia, but Arcadia just _keeps_ pulling me back in", Chloe said, smugly, "...but you know what, fuck it, I like it."

"It doesn't have to be here, just, somewhere", Victoria affirmed.

"In that case…", Chloe started, reaching into her jacket.

"What...are you doing?", Max asked.

Chloe pulled a different knife out of her jacket pocket, causing a momentary panic in Max. Chloe saw it.

"Max, chill."

"I thought you were done with knives...weapons."

"Look...some habits die hard, okay...also this one was already in this jacket when I took it from home...oops. Anyway, this is where we make a blood pact-"

"CHLOE!", Max started.

Chloe knew the joke was in bad taste, "Sorry...sorry. No, i'm just gonna do this."

She went to work at carving at the table, Kate felt like she should stop her, but was genuinely curious what Chloe was doing. They all sat and watched Chloe work. She had obviously done this before, as she worked quickly and neatly.

"There, I felt it was fitting", she said, putting the knife away. They all looked at what she'd carved.

 **Arcadia Bay Breakfast Club, Class of 2013**

 **A punk**

 **A photographer**

 **A nun**

 **A princess**

Next to each, was a butterfly, a crude carving of a polaroid, a cross and a crown.

"You may as well have left our social security numbers, Price", Victoria said, "...but I like it."

Max and Kate agreed.

"So, when are you getting discharged again, Max?", Chloe asked.

"Tomorrow morning. Obviously they didn't find anything in observation, so, i'm good to go, according to them."

"So soon…", Kate said.

"Don't get sentimental on us, Kate, it doesn't...well, actually it does", Chloe mimicked Victoria's voice.

"We're not leaving right away, so don't get sad, Kate, besides you can always call or text me", Max said.

"I know that, Max. I'm still going to miss you guys."

"I think we're all going to miss each other, Kate, but, I don't know what i'm doing yet, and now we have an oath to all see each other again, so-", Max started.

"So you're _all_ stuck with me, not just Max", Chloe finished

Max smiled and nudged her in the ribs, playfully.

"Eh, I like you Price, I like your "fuck it" attitude", Victoria admitted.

"I like your hair, it would look better green or something though, maybe some tats, some black clothes…", Chloe said.

"You are such a bitch, Chloe", Victoria said, smiling.

"I already told you, I aim to please", Chloe grinned.

They sat talking until late into the night, when the cold started to get to them. Staying longer because they knew their strange bond was...well, it would never be broken, but it was going to be more remote soon.

* * *

Kate and Victoria went back to their rooms. Chloe and Max snuck back to hers, Chloe had been staying with Max and had somehow avoided being caught thus far. After Chloe checked the nurses station, for some reason thinking she was the stealthy one, waved Max ahead and followed after her. They went right to bed. Max was still tired from everything, Chloe had nothing better to do and would rather be with Max anyway, at all times.

"So….Max, you never really told me what happened in there", she tapped Max's head lightly.

"Do I have to? I mean….it was bad, it was really bad."

"No, you don't have to. I'm just curious. Plus, if Rachel showed up, i'm worried it was serious."

"You think she was actually there?"

"You still don't believe I actually talked to her?"

"...Alright. Look, i'm just going to skim it, because I don't even want to remember it. Okay?"

"That's fine with me, Max."

"Alright, well….I woke up like...everything was normal...except...I made the other choice...you...were...not there. I had dyed my hair blue, and wore your necklace and-"

"So you became me? Hella sweet."

"Chloe, this is serious, you weren't there...you were…"

"I know...I kind of figured", Chloe said, more somber now.

"Anyway, I was drinking all the time...I was trying to forget...I actually...went to your funeral...Chloe", Max was starting to cry.

"Look...Max, we don't have to talk about this...sorry...I-"

"No, it's better you know."

Chloe no longer knew if she wanted to know, but Max continued. She glossed over seeing Joyce and the box of photos.

"...and then Rachel came up the hill and said a bunch of things that didn't make sense to me, she said I made the right choice, I didn't get it at the time-"

"Join the club."

"...right...so, the other me was there and she started arguing with Rachel, and then Rachel touched my shoulder and the next thing I knew, I was here."

"...That's….intense."

"Tell me about it. Chloe...it was so bad...it was so, so bad...you were gone and I just...I missed you so much...I couldn't even function. Nothing mattered. I just drank and sat at the lighthouse talking to you. It was so horrible. So real", Max was still crying.

Chloe pulled Max closer to her and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Max, i'm right here, and i'm never, NEVER, leaving you. It was a fucked up dream. Maybe Rachel was really there, maybe not, but it was still a fucked up dream. I've heard of people in comas having fucked up dreams before."

Max looked up at Chloe, locking eyes.

"But what if it wasn't, Chloe, what if it was real somehow, what if I broke...reality, or something...I-"

"It was, Max. And if Rachel was really there, then she knew that _this_ choice was the one you made, and she thinks it was the right one. And I think she knows more than either of us. I promise you, i'm right here. This is real. And i'm staying with you forever."

Max buried her face in Chloe's chest again.

"I love you, Chloe", she murmured.

"I love you too, Max. Look, try to get some sleep, okay? I'll stay awake, and if it looks like you're having a nightmare, i'll wake you up."

"You need to sleep Chloe, you-"

"Max, i'm not going to if you tell me to, you already know that. I told you i'd protect you, even from nightmares, so just think about good, good things and try to rest. We have a long drive tomorrow."

"Are we really leaving tomorrow?"

"Only if you are ready to go."

"I'm gonna miss Kate and...even Victoria. But yeah...I think i'm ready to leave...all of this...behind..and just...have you."

"Well, that depends how your parents take you being gay, but…"

"It'll be fine Chloe, if the universe couldn't keep us apart, than my parents certainly can't", Max laughed.

"I know", Chloe said, happily, "Now get some sleep, I guess we do have a long drive tomorrow."

Max assumed her default sleeping position of burying her face in Chloe's neck and holding her tightly. Chloe wouldn't have it any other way. Eventually, after Max had fallen asleep, and appeared to be sleeping peacefully, she allowed herself to follow. She found dreams of the road and the future, not of the storm and the horrible losses.


	15. Can't Hardly Wait

**Morning in Arcadia Bay. Something so familiar to Max, but this time it was...different. A sense of anticipation. A tinge of sadness. A lot of guilt...and something like hope. They were leaving for real this time. That had** _ **roughly**_ **been the original plan, but there hadn't been enough time for the original plan to actually become a plan, as Chloe had stoically driven a near-insane Max out of Arcadia Bay and aimlessly north, away from the destruction they had caused. Chloe had just wanted to get as far away as possible and escape reality, as she so often did. Max was barely conscious. That was never the way it was going to happen. Choices had to be dealt with, consequences had to be faced, closure was needed. What little could be had, anyway.**

Max woke up before Chloe, for once. Chloe had been exhausted, she never slept much to begin with. And during Max's coma, she hadn't slept at all, for days, save a few hours on the last one. She also insisted on staying awake until Max had been asleep for at least a little while, to make sure Max was sleeping peacefully, before allowing herself to sleep. Max knew this, sometimes she pretended to sleep just so Chloe would actually let herself sleep, though she knew Chloe had nightmares too, but she didn't think they could be worse than her own. When Max woke up during the night, crying, which was often, Chloe also immediately woke up and stayed awake until Max drifted off again.

For the first time in what felt like a long time, she hadn't woken up in a cold sweat or crying or screaming during the night. Even after her other, inner voice had stopped bothering her, which she hoped would last, she still had the nightmares. Destruction. Death. Guilt. Dark Room. Jefferson. But last night, last night she hadn't. At some point during the night, their position had changed and Chloe was lying on her side, facing Max, with her arm loosely around her, her face inches from Max's own. Max just laid there, admiring her. Her, once again blue, hair was messy, it hung over her face, but not too much, her lips were parted slightly. Chloe was brash, sometimes unstable, in her waking hours her lanky body never stopped moving, like she had an inability to sit still for more than a minute, she moved with all the grace of a freight train barreling down the tracks, _bad thought_ , she always smelled like cigarettes even though she hadn't been smoking, her face was either stoic or a sarcastic grin...but, this sleeping Chloe was peaceful. Was beautiful.

 _Perfect. You think Rachel would have been the model if you guys had made it to L.A.? They would have been looking at you, Chloe. You are perfect._

Max couldn't resist anymore and kissed Chloe's sleeping lips. Max felt a somewhat unfamiliar urge rising, herself flushing and before she knew it, she was kissing Chloe deeply and her hand was inside Chloe's shirt.

"...hey...what..", Chloe asked sleepily.

"I'm...sorry", Max replied, pulling away quickly and blushing.

"...I had the craziest dream", Chloe said, stretching, "Max was making a move on _me_ while I was asleep, Max would _never_ do something like _that._ "

There was a challenge in Chloe's statement, Max heard it and it just made her blush harder. She pulled the sheet up over her face.

"Chloe..I...sorry..I don't know what..came over me", Max murmured, flustered.

"I think _you_ almost came over me", Chloe said, proudly.

"Chloe...I..", Max didn't know what to say.

"Look, Max, it's fine. But don't think you can do that and not finish what you started", Chloe teased.

"You...you want...me...to?"

"Well, duh, Max look at me", Chloe pulled the sheet down, "You can do that whenever you want, really, unless it's obviously a bad time, but...seeing as how your parents might make us sleep in different rooms, I think now is a pretty good time…"

Max didn't even want to think about sleeping without Chloe, after everything.

"Chloe...I don't...even know how...to..I"

"Oh, well, in that case…"

"Chloe...what are you...wait-"

Chloe had climbed on top of Max, her face less than an inch from Max's.

"I think you were kissing me, and your hand was riiiight", she took Max's hand and put it to her chest, "here."

"...what if someone comes in or something?"

"I guess they'll either be grabbing their camera or running out of the room."

"I…", Max started to protest, but she couldn't take it anymore, she kissed Chloe deeply and pulled her closer to her, if that was even possible.

* * *

"So you guys are really going?", Kate asked. They were sitting in the cafeteria for what was probably the last time. Max, Chloe, Kate, Victoria and even David, finishing breakfast...almost like normal people who hadn't just gone through their own personal tragedies and a natural disaster on top of that.

"Yeah, assuming the truck makes it, David are you sure you don't want to let me _borrow_ the car? You can have the truck", Chloe said hopefully.

"Chloe-", Max started.

"For the last time, no", David finished.

"Dammit", Chloe grunted.

"It's gonna feel empty here, even though it's packed", said Victoria, "...without Chloe's ego, that is."

"I don't have a fuckin' ego, I have an attitude problem, get it together, Chase."

"...yeah...i'm actually going to miss _that_ ", Victoria replied, dryly.

"I'm really going to miss you both. I mean, I know the circumstances were really bad, but still", said Kate.

"I'm going to miss you too, Kate. Lots. You can text me any time, you know that, right?", Max asked.

"Of course."

"I'm going to miss our resident Saint, too….no, seriously Kate, thank you for...everything. You've helped us both, so much", said Chloe, more seriously.

"Chloe...it's nothing...especially not with that I put you and David through...i'm still so, so sorry for-"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Kate", David said, putting down his coffee, "you've been nothing but a blessing to all of us. Joyce would be proud of you. You too, Chloe."

"...thank you, Mr. Madsen", Kate said, she was still torn over Joyce's sacrifice.

Chloe just made some noise of agreement and chewed her gum, which she had managed to snatch off a desk somewhere.

"You two look out for each other, okay?", Max said to Kate and Victoria both.

"We're both leaving in a few days, too. But we will. And we have David, here", affirmed Victoria.

"I'll take good care of them, Max. Until their parents come for them and we can all get out of this place, well, you girls, i'm stuck here for a while, i'm afraid", David said, surprisingly, not that sadly. Max and Chloe both knew this work, helping people, it took his mind of Joyce, and eased his past demons. From a soldier, to a security guard, to a local hero, he did always have good intentions, even if those demons sometimes overshadowed them.

"I know, David. Thank you. For….everything", Max said, she was also thanking him for a time he saved her life, a time only she remembered. When she realized that David was not the monster she had thought he was. She felt a pang of guilt.

"You're...welcome, Max. _You_ look out for Chloe, for me, alright?"

"Of course."

"I don't need a babysitter, ya know that, right guys?", asked Chloe, with a little bit of annoyance in her tone.

"I dunno about that, Chloe", Max said, through a smile.

"You are lucky I can't stay mad at _that_ face, Max", Chloe replied, calmly. Sweetly. It made David a little uncomfortable, but he said nothing. He was, in his heart, happy for them both.

"So you're going directly to Seattle?", David asked.

"That's the plan, who knows from there, New York...Paris…but I will call you when we get there", replied Chloe, with a grin.

"Alright. I'm still not thrilled that you're going, but I know Max needs to check in with her family, and I know you are going to follow her anywhere she goes, so just, be careful, alright?", David asked, that fatherly tone coming back into his voice.

"Careful is my middle name, David", Chloe replied.

"Okay, _Elizabeth_ ", Max said.

"Who's Liz? I'm Careful."

"Okay, Chloe", Max said, with a laugh.

This was the most...normal...they had been since the storm. Well, aside from the courtyard hangout sessions. But even then, there was a tension, a weight to everything that wasn't present here. Max thought it was perhaps because they were finally leaving the horror here behind, for a little while anyway.

"Well, I have to go make my rounds and start some reports, Sean Prescott is now going to be under investigation, he was mixed up in that mess with Jefferson, it seems nobody has been able to find Mr. Prescott since this mess started that night, not even answering the calls about his son. That whole family is dirty. But disappearing is not on their M.O., usually it's the exact opposite, something shady happens, they show right up to protect their name…."

David was talking, Max was only half listening, she wanted no thoughts about Jefferson, the Dark Room or Nathan. Victoria wasn't upset by the mention of Nathan, which Chloe caught, she had known they were close, she grinned, to herself.

"...but, come and see me before you go, alright?", he asked Max and Chloe, though it was obviously pointed towards Chloe.

"Yes, I already told you, i'm hella over the vanishing act thing", Chloe replied.

"Of course, David", Max said.

David stood from the table, slowly, he didn't really want to break up this little circle, either. He eventually made his way out of the cafeteria, vanishing down a hallway. There was a small silence. None of them knew what to say to the other, despite their closeness. Because of their closeness. Chloe was also suffering severe nicotine withdrawal, but not an irritated kind, an unfocused kind. She was tapping her foot constantly and vigorously chewing her gum.

"...So are you coming back, Max? I know I already asked and it's a bad subject but…", Kate finally broke the silence.

"I don't know, Kate. I'll decide when i'm out of here for a little while."

"Well, we all have a pact to drop whatever important adult shit we're doing and pretend it's still 2013 for a weekend or whatever, even 20 years from now, so, it's not like you'll never see us again Kate, i'm _so_ sorry", Chloe mused.

"Chloe, you do know that I _do_ like you, right?", Kate asked.

"Don't mind her, Kate, Chloe is just...Chloe", Max said.

"Hey...what's that supposed to mean?"

"That I love you. And that you have an attitude."

"Nah, i'm just insane. So, Chase, where are we on that green hair?"

"...I don't think that's going to happen, Chloe. Ever.", Victoria said.

"Shame, the cut would look great green, and your girlfriend would love it, if she actually likes _me_ ", Chloe said passively, running a hand through her own hair nonchalantly, not looking at them, but at something, or nothing, across the room.

Kate choked on the tea she was sipping and her face want from pale to red. Victoria was speechless. They looked at each other slowly, then quickly looked away.

"So, when did it happen?", Chloe asked, seemingly genuinely curious.

"...nothing...happened, Chloe", Kate said, embarrassed.

"...ye...yeah…we're just friends...Chloe, not everyone is…", Victoria was caught off guard by Chloe's statement, almost as much as Kate had been.

"Is... _what_?", Chloe asked, her voice seemed...playful, not annoyed.

"Like...you and...Max", Victoria said, carefully.

"Oh. That. I thought you meant punk as fuck. No, not everyone, i'm wondering how long you two have been though…", Chloe said in that same tone.

"We're not...", Kate and Victoria started saying at the same time, before realizing that and stopping.

"Chloe. Enough. Come on, leave them alone", Max said, _though now that she mentioned it…_

"Alright, alright. It was just...it was a joke...I guess", Chloe knew what she was seeing between Kate and Victoria, but would play it off as a joke for now, she knew what it was like to be in their position, _well, without the religion part_.

Now Max was wondering about it too, and was seeing what Chloe had _been_ seeing. Just, the aura around them, when they were together. Max wrote it off as her imagination, because Chloe had brought it up and this whole thing was new to her, _not to Chloe, though…_

"...Right...so..anyway", Victoria said, "how long of a drive do you guys have?"

"Like five hours", Chloe said, almost automatically. She had almost, or even started to, driven up to the Caulfields' so many times over the last five years, before Max had come back, but could never bring herself to do it.

"That is five hours too many of blaring punk music, for me", Victoria said.

"Pft, no stamina", Chloe replied.

Kate was still silent, they all noticed, Chloe felt bad for bringing up the topic she had, she subtly nudged Max, who took the hint.

"Kate, are you going back to Blackwell as soon as they reopen?", asked Max.

"Yes, even though there are some bad memories...there are a lot of good ones too", she said happily, subconsciously looking at Victoria, which wasn't lost on Chloe or even Max.

"...I understand.", Max said, now she saw it clear as day, but she wasn't going to embarrass or confuse the poor girl any further.

"I hope you come back, Caulfield", Victoria stated, "I think it would be really fucking dull there without your hipsterish ways of schooling us on photography."

"If you...say so, Victoria", was all Max could say.

"So, our pact stands?", Kate asked, "We get together sometimes even if we don't all go back to Blackwell?"

"I already got kicked out", Chloe said proudly, Max rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Kate. Of course."

"Ah, good", Kate said happily.

They all agreed.

They knew this breakfast was at it's end. Victoria had to start getting her things together to leave in a few days, Kate had to go to work, though she wasn't doing much, as she was leaving the day after Victoria, and Chloe had already tossed Max's stuff and her own in the truck earlier that morning. Max hugged Kate. Then Victoria, which was something she would have never thought would happen in a hundred lifetimes, but then, it had felt like about that many since the storm. To Max's surprise, Chloe followed suit and hugged them both, though she whispered something, "...seriously, green dye", to Victoria that made her break the hug off early, though it wasn't unfriendly and she was smiling.

Max promised to call Kate when they got settled in in Seattle. Victoria said she'd text later, leaving quickly, her emotions starting to show. She was going to miss everyone more than she wanted to admit.

* * *

They stood in David's office/tent and made their farewells, David was still obviously not happy they were leaving, but he would be alright. If he was anything, it was tough. Chloe seemed more saddened than Max would have thought, but things had changed.

"Just, call me when you get there, alright?", David asked.

"Of course", Chloe said sadly, not sadly enough to not leave, but she was obviously going to miss him.

"Be safe. Both of you", he said.

"We will be, David, i'll look after her", Max said.

"She will. And...are you sure about the car-", Chloe started, again.

"You can't have the car, for the last, last, time."

"Dammit", Chloe murmured, again.

Max just shook her head.

They made their way back out to the truck, after both hugging David for longer than either of them could have ever imagined before...all of this.

"We're really going, for real this time?", Max asked.

"Yes. I need to get out of here for whatever's left of my own sanity."

"You had that to begin with?", Max teased.

"Not a whole hella lot."

Max laughed, she knew they had to get out of Arcadia for while though, for both their sakes. Chloe had always wanted to leave anyway. They got in the truck and started their journey out of Arcadia Bay. In the early afternoon light, it looked almost...hopeful, with the reconstruction in full swing. Max still felt that twisting pang of guilt, and probably always would.

 _So many people, gone. So many. No...stop. Think about this trip. Think about Chloe._

* * *

They passed by the Arcadia Bay sign.

"You know, a week ago, I thought i'd never see that sign again", said Chloe, "...but, i'm kind of glad I did. That we came back. Despite everything. I…"

"I know, Chloe, you don't have to talk about it. I know."

"So, have you figured out what you're going to tell your parents yet, cuz David knows, I told him, he took it pretty well."

"My God, you actually told him?"

"I told you he wasn't gonna be surprised and...he wasn't too surprised."

"Well, I don't have a history, so, my parents might be a little more surprised than that. I think they will be fine with it though, I really do. Once the surprise wears off."

"I hope so, Max, I really do."

They drove in silence for a while, feeling better that there were other cars on I-101 now, they weren't driving aimlessly down a barren, dark highway. Chloe felt better already, just being on the road again. Max did too, to her surprise.

 _Forget the horror here, leave it all down here…_ , Max recalled the lyrics of a song she liked. There was no real leaving that horror, but there was escaping it, for a little while.

Chloe hadn't immediately put on blaring music, but it was about that time for her, the cab of the truck filled with power chords and upbeat tempos. Max actually recognized it as The Ramones, her knowledge of that type of thing was limited, but this sound was unmistakable.

She loved it, she found. The blitzkrieg of sound just reminded her of Chloe.

"Hey, I still have your guitar, it's in it's case in the back. I hope you don't think you're getting that back", Chloe teased, over the music.

"You don't even know how to play it", Max laughed.

"I CAN LEARN, MAX", she said with melodramatic intensity, but there was some sincerity to it.

"...I shouldn't tell you this, but I have an electric at home, I never played it much because it was noisy and I don't really need it for what i'm into...you can have it, it's an old Fender that was my dad's, if you're serious."

"I...don't know what to say, Max. I would love to learn...well, better. I know where the notes are, it's just making them...come out."

"Pft, with your voice, you don't need to be able to play, Chloe", Max said seriously.

"Between us, I hate my voice, but, still, I want to learn, even if i'm just banging out three chords like this", she gestured to the radio.

"That suits you."

Chloe laughed.

"So, are you really giving up photography?"

"I...don't know, Chloe. It feels...tainted. Jefferson. I just...ugh."

"Eh, Victoria was right, it would be a shame. You're the best. And I think you just need some inspiration again."

"And what would that be, Chloe?"

"Fuck if I know, we'll find something in Seattle."

Max wasn't sure, but Chloe sounded sure. She didn't want to think about it right then. She just wanted to enjoy the ride with Chloe, she watched the scenery passing by the truck's windows. This felt good. It felt...right.


	16. Something Good

**They had been on the road for a few hours, Max wasn't entirely sure if they were still in Oregon, or in Washington. She had seen license plates from both. She hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings, much. She had been talking with Chloe. Just talking about the future, daydreaming, really, they didn't even know what they were doing now, let alone years from now, but still, it was something. Future. A word that used to seem unfathomable to Chloe. It had come to have the same feeling for Max, during the last week and a half. Now, it seemed a possibility, a probability, even. They didn't talk about the storm, or the Dark Room, or anything like that. They both needed a break, and they were both sure that it would come back in their nightmares, anyway. They were going to have to talk about it with the Caulfields too, to some extent, though much would be glossed over.**

 **They were in a coffee place that brought the words "hipster" and "yuppie", along with some more profane things to Chloe's mind. They had stopped for gas, but Chloe had been hungry and wanted more coffee, she hadn't really eaten that morning, at breakfast, so much as chewed her gum and drank her coffee, staving off her nicotine cravings. It had apparently caught up with her, she hadn't been eating much over the last week, period. So they sat in a booth together in a coffee place Chloe wouldn't have normally even glanced at, though Max seemed at home. It was this or a diner across the street, and they were both very over diners for the time being.**

"So rare I see you in your natural habitat, Max", Chloe teased, she had just finished a small sandwich that had been _ridiculously_ expensive.

"Not every photography major hangs out in coffee houses editing their photos on their laptop, Chloe", Max retorted.

"I know. Some sort through polaroids while they hang out in coffee houses."

Max made a noise that might have been a groan, around a mouthful of some kind of pastry. Also _ridiculously_ expensive. Chloe had been paying so far, Max knew she had to be careful though, even with the high sum, it was going to go, quickly.

Max chased it with some kind of drink that might have been coffee of some kind, that Chloe couldn't even pronounce, nor did she want to. Chloe sipped her own black coffee and drummed her fingers on the table, she was sarcastic as always, but she seemed distracted, she was gazing out the window.

"Chloe...are you alright? You seem kind of, I don't know, like...on edge."

"Max, i'm going to be completely honest, I want a fucking cigarette, I want a cigarette so fucking badly that I would do horrible things for one. But, i'm not going to give in."

"Chloe, if it's that bad, you can work your way down, I never said quit all at once, I-"

"Nope. Not starting again. I will end up right back where I was. Believe me. This will pass...I...hope", Chloe said, as she turned to face Max.

"Well...i'm proud of you. I know it can't be easy."

"It's not. But i'll survive. Plus, you're bringing _this",_ Chloe gestured to herself, "home to your parents. Let's not keep smoking on the list of reasons to throw me out."

"Chloe, my parents love you, they always have. They haven't seen you in a while, but that hasn't changed, i'm sure of it."

"Do they know we're coming? I mean…", Chloe realized they hadn't really planned this, after all. Max had just thrown Seattle out there, and they went with it.

"...well, I told them I was going to come up for a bit after things settled. And when I talked to Mom the other day, I told her it would be soon and that you'd be with me, when I got up there. That's as much as they know, though."

"Okay, so, not totally going in blind, close, but not totally."

"It's fine, Chloe. Everything will be fine. Trust me."

"I do, Max", she moved around to Max's side of the booth and put her arm around Max's waist and her head on her shoulder, "...i'm just nervous, I guess. I don't want things to change...well, things between us. If I can't do _this_ all the time, I might actually lose my fucking mind for good."

"Chloe, we're legal legit adults. You don't have to be afraid of my parents. It's going to be alright", but Max knew Chloe's fear was more than the conversation she was going to be a part and subject of when they got there, it was seated deeply in loss, betrayal and loneliness. And not having seen Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield in _so_ long.

"I'm not afraid of them, Max, just...of this thing called the future, I guess. I never thought about it much before, past the 'get the fuck out of Arcadia Bay' part. Also this is the longest i've been sober in...a long time. And don't get me wrong, I don't plan on going back, I just...i'm not used to everything being so...lucid."

"Chloe, it's going to be alright. I mean, look at all we've been through."

"I know...and it should be comforting, I guess, but in a way, it's what scares me. You've seen me at my best _and_ my worst. And honestly, I don't see much difference between them", Chloe said sadly, Max hadn't been expecting Chloe to open up like this, she had been her usual sarcastic self until now. She hadn't moved her head from Max's shoulder.

"Chloe...you're doing great. And you're perfect, where this this coming from?"

"Maybe you think i'm perfect now, i'm not, but will you still think that in a week? A year? Five years? I don't...want to be alone again...Max. I know. Before you even bring up what we lost, I know. But I still don't feel...like I was worth it. I mean, you had everything going for you, before this clusterfuck. And you could still have it, i'm just….me."

"Chloe. I'm never leaving you again. Ever. I don't care if you don't have yourself together yet. Believe me, I didn't, not nearly as much as you might think. And not worth it? Chloe...I told you...how I was in my...whatever I saw in the...coma. How could you think that?"

"So much blood, Max. Just, so much blood. I can see it on my hands. And I can't even imagine what it's doing to you. Though...I guess I have some idea."

There was something Chloe needed to hear, but it wasn't something she could ask for. Max had to say it on her own, even if Chloe, in some part of her mind not corrupted by loss and tragedy, already knew it.

"Chloe...stop it. We both have to deal with what we did. Together. That is why we're on this trip, that's why we left. So we can sort it out and try to deal with it...and somehow, we will."

"I know you will, Max. You're stronger than I am. You always were. You still are."

"You are stronger than you think, Chloe. Look at all you've been through, all we've been through, and you're here, with me, getting out of Arcadia. No drugs, no alcohol, not even cigarettes. You are doing amazing, even if you don't think so. You are amazing, Chloe. And you always will be. I already told you, you saved _me_. And you still save me, every nightmare, every bad memory, every day, you save me from it."

"But i'm the reason for all of those nightmares and bad memories. You don't deserve that. Any of it."

"Chloe...it was my choice. I couldn't live without you. Not again. Not ever again."

"...still. Everything. Arcadia Bay. Mom. So much lost."

"Chloe, look at me", Chloe finally lifted her head from Max's shoulder, Max could see she'd been crying, though she'd managed to keep it out of her voice, Max locked eyes with her.

"You were worth it, Chloe Price. You were worth it. And when i'm burning in hell for what I did, I will still be saying you were worth it", Max said, with conviction.

" _You were worth it"._ Those were the words Chloe needed to hear, however selfish it was. She needed to hear it directly, from Max. Chloe kissed her, deeply. Some odd looks from other people in the coffee place didn't phase either of them.

"Thank you, Max."

"For what?"

"Everything", Chloe whispered, with a seriousness extremely rare for Chloe.

With that, Chloe stood, wiped her eyes and stretched.

"We should get back on the road. We can make it a straight shot from where we are, so...piss if you have to", just like that, the old Chloe was back.

* * *

It was evening when they finally got to the suburbs of Seattle, Chloe didn't know where to go, Max had to direct her, Chloe had made it about halfway up a couple times before turning around over the years, she had never gotten this far. They were in a surprisingly upscale neighborhood. Chloe knew the Caulfields weren't starving, but she didn't know they were so well off, since leaving Arcadia, this just made her feel even more out of place.

"Make a right here, a left after that and then third house on the left", Max was saying, knowing her own neighborhood, she'd admittedly needed to consult a map getting into the suburbs from the interstate, she wasn't used to that and had done it all of twice, once when she moved up here and once when she left for Blackwell.

Chloe followed the directions Max gave her, and stopped before the house described. To Chloe, it looked huge. And not water-damaged and half painted, like her own.

 _Okay so not Victoria Chase or Nathan Prescott rich, but not bad, either,_ Chloe thought. She was feeling extremely uncomfortable, even after Max's reassurance everything would be fine. This was not _her_ natural habitat and she still wasn't sure how to face the Caulfields.

"Chloe...we can do this", Max said, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"I know, just gonna be hella awkward", Chloe said, she took a deep breath and pulled into the driveway.

Max could have called ahead, but decided against it, to spare Chloe being swarmed by Ryan and Vanessa as soon as they pulled in.

"Are you ready for this?", Max asked.

"Nope, not at fucking all, but i'm never going to be, so let's do it", with that, she was out of the truck.

Max walked around the front of the truck and embraced Chloe and kissed her. She took Chloe's hand led her up the walkway to the front porch, she didn't really care if her parents saw that or not, at this point. She rang the doorbell, she had her keys, but didn't want to barge in. There was a moment of tense silence and then the sound of footsteps on the other side and the door opened.

"MAXINE?", Vanessa Caulfield exclaimed.

"Hey, mom", Max said, through the screen door.

"RYAN, MAX IS HOME!", she called to the living room, "And she's got….my lord, Chloe? Is that you? You look so….grown up."

"Hey...Mrs. Caulfield, yeah I look a little...different than you remember. A little taller, anyway", was Chloe's feeble attempt at a joke, her tattoos were covered at the moment, but her choppy blue hair peaked out from under her beanie.

"Come in, come in, both of you", Vanessa said, opening the screen door. She immediately gave Max a bear hug, Chloe stood awkwardly to the side.

Ryan soon joined them, joining in on the hug, Chloe suddenly felt very alone, very out of place. Ryan finally recognized Chloe as Chloe, after stealing a glance at her when the hug ended.

"Chloe...you look so...punk...I never would have imagined that when you were a kid", Ryan said.

"Yeah...well...people change, Mr. Caulfield. Except Max here, still the same."

"Chloe, call me Ryan, please, you are an adult now, that kind of thing is okay."

"And you can call me Vanessa, Chloe", Vanessa added.

"Alright...cool...Ryan and Vanessa", Chloe said, uncertainly.

They turned back to Max

" _...so how is it down there…."_

" _...people missing….death toll…"_

" _...are you sure you're alright…."_

" _...you can stay as long as you need too…"_

Chloe wasn't in on the conversation, she excused herself, saying she'd get their bags from the truck, and left without another word. Ryan and Vanessa both picked up on Chloe's trepidation.

"Is she...alright, Max?", Vanessa asked.

"Uh, mom, I don't really know how to tell you this but, Joyce...passed away. Not even during the storm. In the...panic, afterward. It wasn't a good situation. And I don't think Chloe is going to be over it for a long, long time, if ever. She...really has no home now. She has her stepfather but...their house is not in good shape...and with Joyce gone…", Max picked the words carefully.

"Oh my God, Joyce was such a good friend. I always regretted not staying in touch. William was, too. I didn't know she got remarried, i'm...surprised", Vanessa said.

"I was too. But David...her stepfather, is something of a local hero now, for what he did for everyone...after the...storm. And he helped catch that sick fuck, Jefferson, i'm sure you've heard all about that on the news. I think I see what Joyce saw in him, though when I first met him, I thought he was a total asshole…excuse my language, Mom...Dad, it's been...a rough couple weeks."

They would never know _how_ rough.

"Yes, we heard about your teacher, what a sick…", Ryan stopped himself, "i'm just so glad you weren't in danger."

The words stung Max, but she shook it off. Only Chloe and herself would ever know how untrue that was.

"Yeah. He was. He hurt...a very good friend of mine. And was responsible for the death of a very good friend of Chloe's", Max said, passively.

"So, Chloe really has no...home, now?", Ryan asked, apprehensively.

"Not to speak of. And she's taking it very hard. Look, I obviously can't go into all of this right now, but her life...has been kind of a mess...since I left. If she snaps, or is acting...weird, please be easy on her, she's trying her best. She's lost so much. And she's kicking a bunch of….habits, and it's all been extremely hard on her."

Vanessa and Ryan both took the hint on the last part.

"Max, Chloe can stay here as long as she needs to, too. You were always like sisters."

 _Sisters...right._

"Thanks, Dad, you're the best", Max said, _one problem out of the way_.

"She can have the spare room", added Vanessa.

Max shuddered a little, _and another one that has to be dealt with._

At that moment, Chloe came back through the open door, wearing Max's backpack on one shoulder and carrying her bag in one hand, and Max's guitar case in the other.

"Where am I putting this shi-...stuff?", she asked towards the Caulfields, but nobody in particular.

"Just, put it in my room, Chloe, we'll go through it later", Max replied.

"Right...which is where?"

"Up the stairs, first door on the left."

"...alright."

Chloe left them alone again, vanishing up the stairs.

"She's really not in a good place, is she?", Vanessa asked.

"No, Mom, she's not. But i'm doing my best to help her. There's been a lot of...lost time, to make up for….we're going to have to have a serious discussion. Not right now, but sometime tonight", Max said, deciding that she couldn't spend even one night without Chloe, and she wanted to give Chloe's mind some, even a little, ease.

"About?", Ryan asked.

"Nothing bad, something good, actually, something really, really good", Max said, seriously.

There was an awkward silence, Max didn't know what else to say. Ryan seemed distracted. Vanessa couldn't imagine much good about anything that happened recently. Finally Vanessa broke it, making small talk.

" _...how was the trip up here...have you talked to….Seahawks…."_

After a few minutes of this, Chloe came back down the stairs, missing her jacket, her sleeve on full display, along with the bandages on her other arm and a sleeveless Motörhead t-shirt. She'd also removed her beanie, so her blue hair was fully visible. Max wasn't sure if this was going to help or hurt the case.

"Sorry...I was just looking at your room, Max...it's...beautiful...not at all like mine...no spraypaint or torn up flags", Chloe said, awkwardly. Max's room was basically a larger version of her Blackwell dorm, more lanterns, more photos, more artsy posters, books everywhere, a real desk, the exact opposite of Chloe's room, which looked...a lot like Chloe's mind. Chaotic.

"Chloe...it's hard to believe you are the same little girl that used to play pirates with Maxine...", Vanessa said, in a motherly tone.

"Yeah, well. Like I said before. People change. I guess i'm a hella extreme case, but i'm still Chloe Price. New and disimproved", Chloe's tone was still awkward.

She was uncomfortable. She may have had some of the same feelings towards Vanessa and Ryan she had had towards Max, when she first saved her from Nathan and was still angry...or thought she was angry. But it was more the tension of...time. The girl they had seen grow up from a child to a tween had been happy, with long blonde hair and big dreams. The last time they had seen her, she had just lost her father and then the losses stacked up and up and up after that, and they weren't there for that. Now there was an obviously sad, tattooed, blue haired, tall woman in her place. She sounded like Chloe, she had Chloe's mannerisms, but there wasn't a lot of a connection to her old self beyond that, that she thought they could see. She knew Max saw the connections, understood, there was no old or new Chloe to Max, there was just...Chloe. But the Caulfields…

"I think you've grown into a beautiful young woman, Chloe", Vanessa said, "and your tattoos, i'm not big on them myself, but your arm is so pretty."

"I...uh...thank you", Chloe said, she hadn't been expecting that.

"What did you do to your hair, though?", Ryan asked, but it was clearly in jest.

"Crazy story, I went to sleep one night, and when I woke up, it was like this", Chloe said, less awkwardly, it was still there, but it lessened after Vanessa's compliments.

Max smiled, a small smile. She was seeing that she had been right, the Caulfields had never forgotten Chloe. And accepted her as she was. She thought this might make the news a little easier.

"Well, you girls get settled", Vanessa finally said, "I was making dinner, there's enough for everyone, i'll finish it while you unpack. Chloe, the spare room is the one at the end of the hall, on the right."

"Spare room?...I...oh, alright...thanks", Chloe said, she hadn't been in the room for that part of the conversation but knew that Vanessa didn't know she would be staying in Max's room, yet.

"I'll be in the living room, watching the game, if you need anything, or need to talk about anything, both of you", Ryan said.

They went their separate ways, Chloe grabbed Max's hand again as they were going up the stairs. She didn't let go until they were in Max's room, and even then, she stayed in close proximity to Max.

"How are you holding up, Captain?", Max asked, she saw the awkwardness and hesitation in Chloe's entire exchange with her parents.

"I'm...well, i'm glad they weren't scared of me, or something. They are as chill as I remember them being. I know I look a lot different, but…"

"You are still Chloe. My Chloe."

"Always."

Chloe put her arms around Max's waist and buried her face in her hair. When she finally let go, Max went to work unpacking her things into her closet and dresser. Chloe didn't bother, she desperately hoped that Max was going to bring up their relationship soon, but wasn't going to unpack and get her hopes up, just to end up sleeping along in the spare room. Instead she sat on Max's bed, strumming Max's guitar, sloppily. Max must have picked up on this, because she turned to face Chloe.

"I'm going to tell them at dinner, Chloe. Don't worry."

Chloe was still scared, even though the rational part of herself knew Max would never do this to her, that she'd wind up some kind of secret.

"Alright, Max...", she said, passively, focusing on the guitar, her fingers no longer working on separate notes, but barring her fingers to make power chords, the sound was already getting smoother, "...learned that from the Ramones."

Max looked at Chloe, in deep concentration on the guitar, and for the second time since the storm, grabbed her camera from her bag and snapped a polaroid.

"Dammit, Max", Chloe said, but with an amused tone.

"Beautiful", Max said to herself.

* * *

Dinner was an odd nostalgia trip for Chloe. In a lot of ways, it was like no time had gone by, and she was still 14, having dinner with Max's family. A lot of discussion topics were more mature, but the vibe was the same. The decor of the dining room, along with the rest of the house reminded her a little of the pretentious coffee place. She didn't hate it, but it was so... _Seattle._ Ryan now talked about the Seahawks all the time, and Chloe could not possibly give less of a fuck about sports, she kind of tuned out and concentrated on her food. Answering the occasional question or making an awkward joke. And tried desperately to keep her language under control, though she slipped a few times, nobody acknowledged it. She didn't know how Max intended on bringing up what she had to. So she just played it cool, as cool as she could anyway. It wasn't until Vanessa was cutting a homemade pie for dessert that Max finally spoke up.

"Uh, Mom...Dad. There's something important I need to tell you."

Chloe looked at Max nervously, in the same moment Max grabbed Chloe's hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"What is it, Max, is this about what you said you had to tell us before?", Ryan asked. Again Chloe had been absent for the room for that conversation. Chloe wanted a cigarette again, badly.

"You can talk to us about anything, Max. Chloe can, too", there was something in their tones and the look they exchanged that gave Max the feeling there was a joke she wasn't in on, but she carried on anyway.

"Yeah, it is, Dad. Look...you guys have always told me I should do whatever makes me happy...photography...Blackwell...everything...so, there's something...important, you need you need to know. And however you react, it's not going to change it", Max said slowly, carefully, now Chloe was squeezing Max's hand.

"Is this where you come out to us and say you are in a relationship with Chloe?", Ryan asked, amused.

"I...what...how did you…", Max was lost for words. Chloe didn't know how to react.

"Max…", Vanessa started, "...you spent five years talking about Chloe. You came back up here, with Chloe..."

"...I saw you two kissing and holding hands on the way up to the front door, from the window, I wasn't going to say anything until you did, though...I wasn't even sure it was Chloe", Ryan added, "I didn't tell your mother because I wanted to let her have the surprise you were home again. I told her while you were unpacking, though."

"...And...you never showed much interest in...well, boys. And you and Chloe were _so_ close", Vanessa added.

Max had no idea what to say. Chloe didn't either, but she relaxed greatly. The Caulfields were even _more_ chill than she remembered.

"I...so...you're...okay with this?", Max asked, almost pleadingly.

"Max, we are alright with whatever makes you happy, as long as it's not bad for you, which I don't know what Chloe's been up to in the last couple years, but I can see you are good for her and she is good for you. Like you always were for each other. Honestly, we always wondered if we hadn't moved, if it would have turned out this way", Ryan said.

Max laughed. She couldn't help it.

"Chloe, we need to start a "Last to Know", club. We really, really do", Max said, through her laughter.

Chloe just smiled. She looked at Max lovingly, and Ryan and Vanessa could see in her eyes, how much she loved their daughter. Max slowly regained her composure.

"So, Chloe is going to stay in my room, with me. We've been...sleeping together for two weeks now, and...we still have nightmares...about...everything that happened...in Arcadia Bay. We need to...look out for each other", Max said, blushing a little.

"Maxine, you don't have to justify anything like that to us. That is fine. Just, how serious is this...are you two?", Vanessa asked.

"It's...serious, Mom. It's the most serious i've ever been about anything in my life. The most sure, too", she took Chloe's hand again, which was now on the table, no reason to hide it.

"Just keep whatever you two...do in there...down...when we're home at least, I mean...at least there won't be accidental grandchildren or anything", Vanessa said, with a smirk.

" _Mooooom!",_ Max said, blushing and embarrassed, sounding thirteen again.

Chloe was wondering, seriously wondering, how they were so cool with this, _but considering the past…_

The small talk continued over dessert, only this time, an obviously embarrassed Max was mostly quiet and Chloe was talking constantly. About everything but her own life. Max realized it was probably to avoid that topic, actually. Chloe wasn't going to unload that on Max's parents, especially if they were actually as cool with this situation as they seemed.

* * *

"Max….seriously, how are they so cool with this?", Chloe was asking, Max turned from her desk, where she was putting something away and looked at Chloe. She was sprawled out on Max's bed, looking up at the ceiling, the guitar still in her hands, though she had stopped playing the same three power chords over, and over, and over, to Max's relief.

"Obviously I got my coolness from somewhere, Chloe, because you know i'm cool as fuck", was all Max had, she really had no idea, though she somehow felt that her parents had known way, way before she had.

"Do they say 'shaka brah', too?", Chloe teased.

"I'm never going to hear the end of that, am I?"

"Absolutely not."

Max groaned.

"Seriously though….I don't know. They've always been laid back, and maybe it really was obvious to everyone except us...even back then...because it seems like it was obvious to everyone except us."

"Well...whatever, as long as they aren't kicking me out...or trying to set me on fire, or something."

"Speaking of... do you really think Kate and Victoria-"

"Yes-"

"But-"

"They are."

"How do you-"

"I had a hunch, I mean, remember those nights in the courtyard, how suddenly all of their life plans involved each other? And Chase follows Kate around like a lost puppy...and I was half-joking when I brought it up, their reaction kinda...proved it, I wasn't really expecting it, either", Chloe admitted.

"Kate's mom is definitely not going to be as cool as my parents were, she's uh...you know I said Kate doesn't judge, well, from what I know, her mother is the _other_ kind of religious...and her father is a preacher."

"Ouch", Chloe said, "Though if they are both going back to Arcadia, I guess they could keep it under the radar for a while. If it...goes anywhere. So...are we ever going back?"

"I don't know, Chloe", Max still didn't want to think or talk about this.

"Well, i'm not going back anytime soon, anyway, at least...until we run out of money."

"Yeah, about that, how exactly do you plan on making that last up here?"

"Well, my tastes have gotten...less expensive. In the last couple weeks, so, i'll make it work."

Max knew that was true, though she still doubted Chloe's self control when it came to money. Max had sat in her desk chair, Chloe was still sprawled on the bed, fumbling with the guitar. Max found herself wondering what they were really doing here, she had the thought that this was going to be a recurring theme in their lives now. But she pushed it away.

"So, what's the plan, _Captain_ Chloe Price?", Max asked.

"Don't know. Don't have one. I know I have to get a phone tomorrow or something. And we have to figure out where we're going next. Don't think I plan on staying in fucking Seattle."

Max knew that was coming, but the phone thing…"Shit, I was supposed to call Kate, and you were supposed to call David."

Max checked her phone, Victoria had texted her like she said she would. She sighed and called Kate, they talked for a bit before she hung up and handed the phone to Chloe, who dialed David with no delay, something Max still wasn't used to. _So much has changed._

But not all of these were bad changes, Max was slowly realizing. As horrible as everything had been, there were silver linings in this nightmare. And Max thought back to Rachel's words on the cliff in her own dream...

" _I'm pretty sure it was the right decision."_


	17. Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World

**The following day, Chloe and Max had gone to downtown Seattle, Chloe had purchased a throwaway phone. Good enough. Max had the feeling there were people from her past she didn't care to talk to. They walked the streets, hand in hand. Chloe found that Seattle** _ **was**_ **beautiful. She still didn't plan on staying though, but for right now, it was good. Life was good. The guilt, the shame, it was still there, but it seemed distant. And maybe it was, five hours south.**

"Hey, is there a thrift store or something around? I need to get a coat or something, the jacket is starting to not cut how hella fuckin' cold it's getting", Chloe asked.

"Yeah, there's one on the next street, a friend of mine, Fernando, works there", Max replied, she was happily walking arm in arm with Chloe, not nearly as many strange looks as they would have gotten in Arcadia Bay. This was a city. All types of people. All going about their own business.

They walked on, Chloe actually did admire the city. She saw why Max loved it. Chloe was as content as she could be. For the first time in a long time. They rounded a corner, they were in an area with a lot of record stores, antique shops, things like that.

"It's right up here", Max said.

They went into the store, which had a sign reading "THRIFTY EXPRESS", in gaudy neon. It smelled musty and...like a thrift store. Chloe felt surprisingly at home.

"HOLY SHIT, MAX?", called a boy around their age, behind the counter.

"Hey, Fernando, yes, it's me. I'm….still alive", Max said, nervously. She hadn't really kept in touch with her Seattle friends, the few of them, with everything going on in Arcadia Bay, even before what happened had happened.

"Fucking hell, Max, the storm, nobody had any idea what was going on down there. Kristen was worried sick. I'll have to tell her later, unless you want to hang out…"

"I uh...i'm a little busy", she smiled at Chloe, who looked tense.

"Who is this, a friend from Arcadia?", Fernando asked, apparently oblivious to the fact that their arms were still locked together. He stepped around from behind the counter.

"Fernando, this is Chloe...my girlfriend", Max said, proudly.

"Holy-...Chloe? Chloe Price? _The_ Chloe Price? We weren't even sure if you were real, Max talked about you so much. We thought maybe you were an imaginary friend, or something. And you guys are...together? Whoa."

Chloe had been worried how Max would handle telling someone she knew about...them, but that was gone quickly. Max's embarrassment was quickly fading. And Chloe was starting to believe that Max really _was_ proud of her.

"I'm all too real, Fernando, i'm staying with Max, cuz there isn't...much left of Arcadia Bay...and i'm hopelessly in love with her", Chloe said, a little overly dramatic, but she was serious.

"Well, that's awesome, Max. I'm glad you guys found each other again. Chloe, Max talked about you constantly, we never understood why she didn't just call you or something. And now you're dating? Can't say i'm really all that surprised, with how obsessed with you Max over here seemed to be."

Now, Max was blushing.

"We worked through that. It was...hella complicated", said Chloe, for Max, "But really, _that_ obsessed, huh, _Maxine_?"

"Both of you shut up", Max said through her nervous giggling.

 _Too cute_ , thought Chloe.

"If we're done examining my personal life, where are the coats and stuff these days, Fernando?"

"Oh, in the back, next to the books."

Max said she'd keep in contact and maybe they could all hang out sometime, and followed Chloe to the back, where Chloe kissed her, just for the sake of kissing her.

"Alright, I need...fuck it, this looks good", she said, pulling the first army jacket she saw off the rack.

"That was...quick", Max said.

"I have an impeccable eye for fashion, Max, clearly. Now, I need to look at the books and the CD's and tapes or whatever, I assume you have something that can play those, maybe even records, being the hipster that you are."

"Fuck you, but yes, I do", Max sighed.

"Great!"

Max wondered what Chloe could possibly need a book for, she couldn't exactly imagine Chloe sitting still and reading a novel.

Chloe actually concentrated on looking for _something._ Max vaguely looked around while she did. Looking at some old cameras, but nothing really caught her eye. When she went back over to Chloe, she had a few books under her arm. All about learning the guitar. Chords, scales, the like. Max knew Chloe didn't have the patience for all that, but she was proud of Chloe for taking _something_ seriously. Chloe grabbed a few cassettes and CD's that caught her eye, The Ramones, Buzzcocks, stuff like that.

They paid and left, making their way back to Chloe's truck, a few blocks over. When they were heading home, Max asked;

"So you really do want to learn guitar, because I can teach you more of the basics."

"I do, Max. I think i'm going to work on my voice, too. Though I still hella hate it."

"It's beautiful, Chloe, like you."

Chloe sighed, but it was a loving sigh.

* * *

Days in Seattle turned into weeks, Chloe seemed to have lost interest in leaving right away, which was alright with Max, for now. She did still want that road trip, though. Their days were spent with Max showing Chloe her favorite parts of the city, which Chloe was enjoying, only, now Max always had her camera with her again, and she took pictures of Chloe in places she saw fit, at every opportunity. Chloe wasn't sure how she felt about being a model, but played along, for Max. Max had also begun snapping things that caught her interest. Landmarks, parks, storefronts. She seemed over selfies, though. But, Max was finding that her spark was coming back, now that they were far away from Arcadia Bay, like Chloe had said it would. Sometimes they got coffee or pizza with Fernando and Kristen, sometimes they just wandered the streets, stopping wherever caught their interest.

The evenings were spent in Max's room, or in the back yard, which had more lanterns and a lot of stone. Max doing her best to show Chloe where to put her fingers on the guitar's neck. Chloe had found an old walkman in the garage, when she had been looking at something on Ryan's car for him, which was how she was making a little bit of money over the last couple weeks. And she'd strum along and quietly sing to her old punk cassettes. She was quickly surpassing Max's meager music abilities, but Max had many opportunities to get pictures of Chloe, perfecting her new art, as perfect as a punk could get anyway, and the roughness was the beauty of it, Max understood that now, and why Chloe was so into it.

And they were both happy. Max called Kate regularly. Victoria stayed in contact through texts. Even Chloe talked to Kate, sometimes. And David frequently. If this was their future, Max could live with it, even with the bad dreams.

* * *

Max eventually pulled a case from underneath her bed one night, and set it on the bed in front of Chloe.

"That isn't like...your weird toy collection, right?", Chloe teased.

"Chloe...grow up...no, it's a guitar my dad played in high school."

She opened the case, and inside was a beautiful, blue, vintage Stratocaster.

"I see you are taking this seriously, well, as seriously as you _can_ , so you can have this, Chloe", Max said, lovingly.

Chloe took it out of the case and held it.

"It's...beautiful, Max…I don't, know what to say, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever given me."

"Then don't say anything, play it, you dork", Max said, lovingly. She had a small practice amp under her bed too, she gave Chloe with some fear, but Chloe kept the volume low, enough to hear it, but not be overbearing. She had quickly gained a repertoire of simple punk songs. She began singing again, quietly, but Max loved it. Max couldn't help snapping a picture of Chloe hard at work with the guitar, which matched her hair almost perfectly.

"You know, Max, when I said we'd find your inspiration again in Seattle, I was thinking maybe like, the fuckin' Space Needle, not me", Chloe teased.

"Shhh, taking pictures of you makes me happy, it gets rid of the feelings that…everything...left with me, about it."

"Weeelllllll, I guess it's alright then", Chloe affirmed.

"Good, 'cause I was going to keep doing it anyway", Max said, with a sweet smile.

Chloe put the guitar down, "Come here, Max."

Max climbed onto the bed next to Chloe, Chloe kissed her, and before she knew it, that whole sex thing was happening again. At one point Vanessa was about to knock on the door to ask them about dinner, heard a moan from Chloe, a "shut up, Chloe" from Max, and quickly turned and went back down the stairs, smirking, in spite of her parental instincts.

* * *

At dinner, over the usual small talk, Chloe finally asked Max if they could maybe go to some local shows.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Chloe, take in the arts while you're here", Vanessa said.

"Just blaring punk rock, Vanessa", Chloe chimed in.

"I dunno...Chloe, i've never really been to a real concert...not one with like...mosh pits", Max regret saying this before Chloe even had a chance to say;

"Shaka brah…but seriously, I want to check out the scene here. Portland has one, so Seattle has to."

"Just be careful, girls, I was a teenager once, too", Ryan said, he was the more cautious of the still incredibly laid back Caulfields.

"I will protect Max with my life, Sir Ryan", Chloe chimed in happily.

Weeks ago that joke would have brought back all kinds of horrible memories for Max, but now, almost a month in Seattle and Arcadia miles and miles away, she just rolled her eyes.

"So, what are your plans, girls? Are you staying in Seattle, or are you going back to Arcadia Bay, are you going back to Blackwell when they reopen in March, Max?", Vanessa asked, she had tried this before but was met with "I don't know", or, "I don't want to talk about it right now".

Max still didn't really know, and once again changed the subject. Though her interest in photography had returned hard, and Chloe seemed to be thinking about _something_ a lot. Max didn't know exactly what, though.

Later, when they lay in bed, cuddled together, Max asked Chloe what her plans were.

"I don't know for sure, yet, I still don't plan on staying in Seattle, that road trip's gotta happen, ya know? I suppose if you aren't going back to Blackwell we will have to get…ugh... _jobs_ …eventually. But I have enough money for now."

Max didn't want to think about being away from Chloe, ever. _Jobs_ would more than likely entail that.

"I don't know if I am or not, obviously you brought the photographer in me back out, but I still don't know. So many...bad memories."

"I know, Max. And i'm fine with either way. I think you should still pursue that though. You're still the best i've ever seen at it….I kind of have a...pipe dream...without the pipe...that could maybe...have us working together. But it's a longshot. But we wouldn't have to go back to Arcadia", Chloe sounded pensive, deep in thought.

"And that...would be?", Max asked.

"I'll tell you when I have it figured out", Chloe said, sleepily.

They lay under Max's lanterns, the only light in the room, until they eventually both drifted off to sleep. They still had the nightmares, and sometimes Max would wake up sobbing, and Chloe would hold her until she fell asleep again. Chloe knew this wasn't going to stop anytime soon, but she thought they could live with it, as long as Max's...other voice...or whatever it was, was really gone. Max had said nothing about it to her in a long time, not since the coma.

* * *

The next night they were at some local punk show in some dive bar, that Chloe seemed right at home at. Everything just sounded like noise to Max, but Chloe was loving it. She actually didn't go into the pit. Or ever even mention it. She stood…observing. Like she was taking notes. Max wasn't sure was this was about, but some pieces were starting to come together in her mind.

They did this every other night for about a week, cheap or free local shows. Chloe would sometimes be doing something on her phone, while looking around the room. Max still didn't know what this was about, but never asked. She was actually just happy she could finally go to these things with Chloe. Chloe also enjoyed visiting book stores or indie record shops that Max loved. Chloe just loved being here, with Max.

* * *

They had been in Seattle for a little over a month, Chloe's hair had gotten a little longer, her roots were showing. And she showed no sign of cutting it or re-dying it. Max thought perhaps this was symbolic of a new start at life, though when she had her beanie on it was hard to tell. Chloe was starting to have to tie it back in a small ponytail while she practiced on her blue Strat. Sometimes Max would play with her, strumming her acoustic while Chloe sang indie songs Max liked, or following Chloe's lead. Max was pretty sure Chloe was actually writing lyrics, sometimes she'd be scribbling on scraps of paper. And sometimes she would play or sing rough, but strangely pretty, things Max didn't recognize at all, and were a strange mixture of somber and raw.

One night Chloe asked Max.

"So...are you coming with me to an audition tomorrow?", Chloe asked, she had been on the phone, in the hallway, Max had assumed it was David, but she now knew otherwise.

"...A what?"

"I collected some numbers at those shows, from ads and posters, I found a band that is looking for a female singer and second guitar player, it looks promising. And they said I could...try out...tomorrow."

"Well..this came out of…", Max had the realization that it actually didn't come out of nowhere, "...you know what, yes i'd be glad to, basically I get to hear your voice all the time? Count me in."

"Don't get your hopes up, Max. Mine aren't."

"You'll do great...but, does this mean we are staying in Seattle?", Max asked, a little sadly.

"Max, this probably won't even work out, and no, the road trip is going to happen. I need to get out of here already, I can't ever stay in one place for too long, you know that. I've already done that enough, and wherever you go, I go, and wherever I go, you go, right?", Chloe asked.

"Of course", Max said happily.

* * *

The next day they were at a rehearsal space, more of a storage unit, really. Chloe met two guys

around their age with tattoos and dressed...like Chloe, along with a girl a little younger, with long, unnaturally bright red hair.

"Hey, i'm Chloe, I sort of play guitar and can sort of sing", she said, sheepishly.

"Don't listen to her, she's great, and her voice is beautiful", Max said.

"...and this is my girlfriend, Max", Chloe said, less sheepishly.

"Sweet, another dyke, those are kinda rare to see around here, surprisingly", said the red haired girl, who's name was apparently Trish, she was the bassist.

"Arcadia Bay is _apparently_ full of them", Chloe said, passively. Max rolled her eyes.

"Shit dude, you're from Arcadia Bay? Were you there during that crazy storm?", one of the guys asked. Apparently his name was Cliff and he was the drummer. He had long black hair and full sleeves on both arms, he was wearing a denim vest covered in old band patches.

"Yes...I was...don't really want to talk about it though", Chloe said.

"That's pretty fuckin' punk", said the other guy, apparently the other guitar player, his name was Rob. He seemed...more reserved, than the other two. He simply wore all black, his hair was bleached, but it was parted neatly, and he wore thick rimmed glasses.

"Yeah so...can we like...do this?", Chloe asked.

"Yeah, come in, you can plug into that Marshall over there, our last guitarist and singer, who was terrible, left it here."

So she did. She was clearly nervous, but also seemed completely at home, with the blue Strat hanging low, and surrounded by people who...really all looked like her, she still stood out though.

"So what are we playing?", asked Chloe.

"You know _Havana Affair,_ by The Ramones...or maybe _Astro Zombies_ by the Misfits? Basic shit to start out with", said Trish.

"Fuck yes, I do, can we do both?", Chloe replied.

"I like your attitude, Chloe", said Rob.

Cliff counted them in.

It didn't matter that Chloe's guitar was way off time, the band was tight. And Chloe's sloppy guitar playing actually gave it a rougher edge, Max wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't doing it on purpose, actually. And her voice. Her voice soared over everything. By the time they had finished, they had burned through more punk standards than Max could count, and a few of the band's originals. Chloe occasionally set the guitar down and just sang, when she didn't know the song. The attitude, it was there. Chloe's constant movement and energy was working in her favor here. To a great extent.

* * *

Later, when Max's ears were ringing so hard she thought she'd gone totally deaf, they sat outside, Trish pulling from a bottle of whiskey, Rob smoking a cigarette, this made Max nervous, but Chloe told them she was straight edge.

 _Whatever the fuck that means_ , thought Max, but she got that it meant she didn't want to partake, though, Max could see Chloe struggling.

"That's cool, man", said Trish.

"So guys, what do you think?", asked Rob.

"I think if we don't hire her, i'm quitting", said Cliff.

"We could always get a drum machine, those don't complain", said Trish, "...but I agree."

"I do too", said Rob, he held his hand out to Chloe, "Welcome aboard."

Chloe shook his hand, nervously, "I...really?"

"So...first gig is on Friday night, so learn these", he handed her a binder of music, "And if you've got anything of your own, we can try it, we'll rehearse on Thursday, sorry for the short notice, but we already had gigs booked, then our walking ego up and quit."

"I'm fucking on it", said Chloe, "...Do we have a name?"

"We did, but that dick took it with him. We were just going with last names, like The Ramones, but our names all suck, so-"

"Oh please", said Trish, "Ramone wasn't even any of their real last names."

"The idea stands though", said Rob, "We've got Trish Sanders, Cliff Smith, obviously we can't use The Smiths, and Rob Cortez, which, I don't like it….what's your last name, Chloe?"

"Price", she said, nervously.

"Price. _The Price_ ….I like it", said Trish.

They agreed.

"You're...naming the band after me?", Chloe asked, even more nervously.

"Well, for stage purposes, we all take the last name Price, would be how this works, if that's alright with you, actual credits, if we like...go legit or something, eventually, would be our real names, but stage names would end in Price. Like the Ramones. If this is okay with you, of course. You just met us, I understand if you don't want to do that, we can come up with something else, you're in either way...besides, you're the frontman, so…", Rob said, he was clearly the creative force here, though Max had a feeling that was about to change.

"I'm….hella cool with...all of that", Chloe said. She never expected this to even go well, let alone, this well.

"Then call it official, as this kind of thing can get, anyway", Rob said.


	18. Lucidity

**Chloe practiced, and practiced, and practiced. She played through the pain of the blisters forming on her fingers, which Max assured her would get better. She didn't really mind the pain though. She still got Max to play her acoustic along with her a few times, while Chloe sang some songs she wouldn't have, otherwise. Max had been playing on and off for a few years, but Chloe's pure drive was making her surpass her quickly. They hung out in Max's favorite spots, a bookstore here, a thrift shop there, during the day, and Chloe practiced whenever they were at the Caulfields'. Max was proud of her, she really, truly was. But she was starting to feel strange about this, all of it.**

"I guess you're hanging in Seattle for longer than you thought", Max said, on Wednesday night, almost sadly.

Chloe picked up on the sadness.

"So why so sad, Max?"

"Well...what if things change, Chloe?", Max was suddenly scared she would be left behind, Chloe had very rapidly gotten herself together, so it seemed, Max just had some polaroids.

"Max, that is never going to happen. Believe me. And you're coming to the show, I mean, with me, you're going to be taking pictures of the entire thing", Chloe said, assuringly.

"I...am? Chloe I just...feel like this all happened really, really fast. Like, a couple weeks ago we were in the hospital, now you are playing rock star and i'm a little...lost."

"Max, you are the best, you are going to make it as a photographer, I promise, and i'm going to be with you _every_ step of the way. Every. Single. One. If that is what you still want to do, after everything."

Max embraced Chloe, "It is, Chloe, thanks to you. I just don't want to lose you again."

"You're never going to, Max. I swear."

"And you'll be around drugs and alcohol and…"

"Here, Max", Chloe said, taking a black marker from Max's desk, she drew a black X on the back of her hand.

"What does that even mean?", Max asked.

"Back in the old days, before straight edge was a stupid fucking trend, the punks that were too young to drink used to have this drawn on their hands at bars, so they wouldn't be served, and then the older ones who fell into that clean lifestyle started doing it, so they also wouldn't be served, to show they weren't going to succumb. And I won't", Chloe said, assuringly.

"...Alright, Chloe. Just be careful, please."

"Chloe Careful Price, is my name, after all."

"Okay, Elizabeth", Max giggled.

They began to kiss.

"DINNER, GIRLS", Vanessa called from downstairs.

"Aww, no sex right now", Chloe said, almost sadly.

"Grow up, Chloe", Max laughed.

"Nah, not yet."

* * *

The following day, they were back at the storage unit rehearsal space. They burned through more punk and old rock n' roll standards, and a good chunk of originals, that Chloe picked up quickly, along with a song called _Butterfly_ that she had written herself, which everyone loved, though it was more somber. Max realized quickly that it was somewhat of an auto-biography of Chloe's life until Max had come back, it made her sad, but it also showed how much Chloe had grown over the last month or so.

A lot of this music was lost on Max, she did understand why Chloe was so obsessed though. It suited her perfectly. She snapped picture, after picture of this rehearsal, Chloe, taller than the others, with her blue strat and blue hair stood out, even against Trish's bright red flowing hair.

After a few hours, Rob called them to stop.

"We don't want to get burned out on these songs before the show tomorrow, three times through our setlist is good, plus we can't tire out our new frontman", he said.

"It's literally impossible to tire out Chloe", Max laughed.

"I'm seeing this", he replied, smiling, "Good, because this is exactly what we all needed."

"Rob, guys, I wanted to ask you something, just run it by you", Chloe said nervously.

"What is it?"

"Look, I sort of come in a package deal, with Max. As you've probably noticed, she's a photographer. And she is a fucking _good_ one. She comes, like, to the show tomorrow, and if this gets off the ground, she comes, takes pictures, otherwise I walk", Chloe said, no compromise in her voice.

Rob thought about this.

"If the show tomorrow goes as well as I think it will, you have a deal. Deal?", he asked.

"Deal."

"Alright, let's go get pizza or something, i'm fucking starving", Trish said from behind them.

So they did, Max was already being treated like a fifth member. Chloe knew this was going to work out, after all, as long as she didn't blow it.

* * *

That night, Max and Chloe sat in the Caulfields' back yard, looking at the stars.

"Chloe, you're really serious about this?", Max asked.

"I am. And you know, i'm really not doing this for me."

"...What...are you talking about?"

"Remember the plan I said I had, awhile back, for both of us?"

"...yes, but what…"

"How else are you going to become a prestigious photographer, I know you aren't going back to Blackwell, Max. I do want to do this, like I said, I can't do real jobs, but, i'm mostly doing this as a platform for you."

"Chloe...I-"

"I told you, i'd help you. And I told you we'd find your inspiration again, though I never expected it would be me. And if it's me, fuck it. This gives you an excuse. If this works, you get known doing this, then you start sending portfolios to agencies or whatever, and you make it."

"...I...don't even know what to...say...Chloe..", Max hadn't thought of it like this, at all. And she had no idea Chloe knew this much about this type of thing, she'd been making up for the homework she never did at Blackwell, apparently.

"I love you, Max. More than anything. And this is going to work, I promise. I'm scared shitless, I could barely talk at my own mother's memorial. Now I have to sing in front of people. But i'm going to push through it, and you're going to be right there with me."

"Chloe you...you are amazing. You really, truly are."

"No. I'm just trying to pay you back for everything you've done for me, that's all. I'm hella imperfect, Max."

"No, you are perfect. You always were, and you always will be. And you don't owe me anything, Chloe. Not after everything...i've...taken from you.."

"Max, you saved me. That's all I care about. You are all I care about. Yes, I still have nightmares. Yes, I miss mom every minute of every day. But we're here, together. Plus, now I have an outlet for my demons. I can literally scream about them all I want."

Max knew in this moment that things were not going to change, this Chloe she was talking to was such a mixture of the past, present and future. And it was perfect.

"Alright, it's fucking cold out here", Chloe said.

"You could have bothered to put on more than a t-shirt and a jacket...and put on shoes...it's fucking November", Max laughed.

"Yeah, but I didn't. Let's go watch a movie or something."

"Yes sir, Captain", Max replied happily.

They fell asleep watching Blade Runner, which Max had been hesitant about watching, it reminded her of a timeline she wanted to forget, but decided that she had to face these things, eventually.

* * *

The next evening they were in a small bar-type venue, but it was packed. Chloe sat in what passed for a dressing room, fumbling with her Strat. Max was assuring her everything would be fine, she would do great. Chloe wished she believed it.

"5 minutes, Chloe", Rob said, before vanishing out of the room again.

Chloe sighed.

"Chloe, come on, i'll be taking pictures from the side, and from the front if I can, i'll be right there, you can do this."

"I hope so, Max, I really, really do."

They joined the rest at the side of the stage, Rob had given Chloe some things to say, but Chloe couldn't recall them now. Nerves. Sober nerves. Someone took the guitar from Chloe and got it ready. And someone directed Max where to stand to get the best shots, for a local punk zine.

The cue came, and they walked onto the stage, despite Chloe's nerves, she had a presence which caught everyone's attention immediately. And something went off in her mind, as she took the guitar and strapped it on. A switch.

She walked confidently to the front of the small stage. There was an anticipation she had only experienced from the other side of the barrier. This was that, times ten.

"Hello, everyone….", she started.

Rob looked at Max, on the sideline, they were both scared she was about to choke.

"...we're The Price, AND WE'RE HERE TO FUCK YOU UP, CLIFF, HIT IT!"

And with that it was off, Chloe hadn't choked, quite the opposite. Her voice cut through everything, it made people pay attention, even if they were at the bar, drinking.

Chloe's natural presence bordered on the edge of insanity, and so did she herself. The first song was rough, but it wasn't a bad start, by the second Chloe found her place. These guys were, despite their youth, seasoned musicians, Chloe had the feeling that they'd been doing this for a long time, and just needed something to push them ahead. That's why she had been shopping around, so to speak, calling different groups of musicians, this one had felt right, after a lot of dead ends. At the same time, Rob was thinking that Chloe _was_ that something they needed. He actually couldn't believe how quickly she was picking this up.

It went on for about half an hour. Chloe, during a short solo played by Rob, looked at the room in front of her, she could have sworn she saw Rachel, standing in the back, smiling, but it was impossible to be sure, when she looked again, she was gone.

This _was_ Chloe's natural habitat. And Max knew it wasn't an act. It was a side of her that needed to be vented, shown when appropriate. She had actually ditched her jacket and hat for this, she had nothing to hide.

 _Wowser….this...this could actually keep her sane_ , Max thought, as she snapped pictures. Max also found herself feeling something. A strange feeling, unfamiliar to her, regarding this Chloe. Drenched in sweat, scarily aggressive. It was by no means a bad feeling.

When the set was over, the crowd demanded an encore, which wasn't even supposed to be an option here, but the sound guy waved them on to do it. They huddled together at the side of the stage, Chloe had an idea, the rest agreed. She walked back to the center of the small stage.

"Thank you, everyone who came out tonight. You've made my first show with these guys something truly special. And I want to thank our photographer and the love of my life, Maxine Caulfield, this song is for her, I hope you guys like the Descendants, this is one of theirs, it's called _Good Good Things_."

There were cheers, Rob looked at Chloe and shrugged encouragingly. Chloe didn't need her guitar for this, she set it down, she clung to the mic stand, which reminded the band of Iggy Pop, it was just beautiful to Max, who still didn't know much about this scene.

" _I know a place, up in the air_

 _it's not very far, i've been there before_

 _well I know a place, cool and warm_

 _cooling my blood, warming my heart_

 _so come on down and walk with me,_

 _and tell me i'm your girl_

 _I only want to know a couple of things about you_

 _Where were you when I was in so much trouble with myself?_

 _And do you still believe in me like I believe?_

 _I've been thinking good good things about you_

 _cool and warm, good good things about you_

 _If you've been thinking good good things about me_

 _so cool and warm when you put your arms around me"_

She knelt down to where Max was standing between the barrier and the stage with her camera, she took Max's hand and looked her directly in the eyes, and she sang;

" _So come on down and walk with me, and tell me i'm your girl_

 _let's see if I can get it right with you, this time around_

 _i'm not afraid of losing you, my little girl"_

Max would have been embarrassed, if this wasn't so perfect. And it made that strange feeling even worse. Or better. She just smiled up at Chloe, who finally let go and walked back to the center of the stage to finish the song.

There was applause. Rob knew this was going to work, and Chloe's deal about Max was solidified, in his mind.

* * *

They stood outside, in the back, by their cars. Cliff had a van to haul everything, everyone loaded their own gear into it, except Chloe's guitar, she had put that in her truck. It was quickly becoming _part_ of her. Max would have been thinking _it matches her hair, of course it's now attached to her_ , if her mind wasn't somewhere else. Chloe didn't notice, she was familiar with the natural concert high, but this was something a hundred times better.

"Jesus Christ, Chloe", Rob was saying.

"That was literally the greatest thing i've ever seen", said Trish.

"So, back to _bidness_ , do we have ourselves a deal?", Chloe asked immediately.

"Yes. We do. And if you keep this shit up, we all will soon", Rob said, as handed her portion of the money to her, it was only twenty dollars, eighty split four ways, but it was _something_.

"Hella yes!", Chloe exclaimed.

"You up for regular gigs? Because we were already doing that before, under a different name. We were gaining momentum and totally lost it, I think we just got it all back at once, though."

"Totally."

"Good. Practice the day after tomorrow, we'll discuss this more then, now we party."

"Rob, I really...don't...look, i'm gonna be honest here, i've had some...problems...in the past, this is my fresh start", Chloe said, honestly, she held up the faded "X" drawn on her hand.

"I respect the honesty, Chloe. That's cool. Go party with your girl, then. She looks like she's going to eat you alive", he laughed, walking away, the rest took the hint and followed, though even he had the feeling he wasn't going to be the leader for much longer, he was fine with that, as long as he could play his guitar.

Chloe realized Max hadn't said a word since they left the building.

"Hey, Max, you alright?", Chloe asked.

"Yeah i'm…great, actually", Max said in a tone mostly unfamiliar to Chloe. Max was just...staring at her.

"Uh, Max, the blank stare is kinda freaking me out."

Without warning Max shoved Chloe against her truck's door and kissed her, aggressively.

"Christ, Max", Chloe choked out.

"Home. Now.", was all Max said.

"Yes, sir. I'm liking _this_ Max", Chloe teased.

* * *

Later they lay in Max's bed together. The Caulfields weren't home, Chloe didn't know where they were, but was glad they hadn't been. They would have either not liked what they would have heard, or would have outright called the police.

 _Huh, and here I was, scared to ever get even remotely rough with her_ , Chloe thought lazily.

"...I...sorry about….that...I don't...know what came over me", Max said, embarrassed, snapping Chloe out of her sex coma.

"I think I have bruises in places even I didn't know could have bruises", Chloe said, still in a daze.

"...i'm...sorry", Max said.

"Max. Don't be. That was fucking amazing. Perfect way to celebrate."

"You could...have...hung out with them, though."

"Max, if this was your plan to keep me from drinking, you should have told me a long time ago."

"...no plan, Chloe", Max yawned.

"Aww, fuck. So i'll just have to keep playing shows or taking you to concerts?"

"I guess so", Max said, quietly, but happily.

"I think I can work with that."

"Mmhmm", Max cuddled closer to Chloe.

 _Still too fucking cute,_ Chloe thought, again.

"So...are you good with this plan? If this all works out like I want it to?"

"Yes, Chloe. I am. But can you...really handle this? Like, the pressure...and not drinking and…"

"Tell me you're coming with me, wherever I go."

"You already know-"

Chloe sat up and looked Max in the eyes, the sheets slipping to her waist, she wasn't wearing anything, Max still put her shirt back on immediately after, which Chloe found adorable.

"Say it."

"I'm coming with you, wherever you go."

"Always?"

"Always."

"Then yes, I can do it", Chloe said surely, settling next to Max again.

"You know, what you said earlier about it being a good platform for me? Based on what I saw, it will be a great one for you, too."

"Maybe. Honestly, I was just thinking about you when I was plotting. I was learning to play anyway, so I figured, might as well use it for something...good. There's nothing else I can really...do, that would work for your skill set."

"You could be my personal model", Max teased.

"I think that's going to happen now anyway, isn't it?"

"Hmmm. Yeah, pretty much", Max said happily.

"So where are your parents, anyway, I mean, i'm glad they weren't here for...that, but…"

"They still do some cringey date night thing once a week, you've really never noticed before and you've been here...how long?"

"Uhhh...huh, you know, I never really thought about it before."

"Clearly. That will be us someday, right? Going on dorky date nights in thirty years?", Max teased.

"Max, I don't think we've gone on anything even resembling a date so far, i'm not starting now."

"Thank Dog."

"I can't believe you still say things like that."

"Would 'hella' and 'bidness' be better?"

"No, those are my words. I own them."

"Uh huh."

"No really, I do. Look it up."

"Shut up, Chloe", Max said, lovingly. She cuddled up to Chloe again.

* * *

That night Chloe woke up gasping for breath, with tears in her eyes. The nightmares and guilt _were_ better, far away from Arcadia. She accepted that they would probably never go away for good, though. She looked over at Max, sleeping peacefully beside her. That sight made it worth it to her.

She looked up at the ceiling, the room lit only by the moon.

 _Did I really see you, Rachel? Am I doing better now? I hope I am. I'm trying. For her. And for me. And wherever you are, I think you got rid of Max's 'other voice' for good. Thank you. I wanted to help her, but I couldn't, not with that._

"Thank you", she said out loud, accidentally.

"...huh", Max mumbled.

"Nothing Max, I just had a bad dream. I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

"What...no, Chloe…", Max sat up.

"I'm fine, Max."

"Well, i'm going to stay up with _you_ for once, until you go back to sleep."

"Max, you don't have to-"

"You always do it for me, Chloe. Always. It's okay, come here", she held her arms open to Chloe.

Chloe somewhat awkwardly accepted Max's embrace, her head on Max's chest, with Max's arms around her. This was backwards from how it usually was, but she found it extremely comforting.

"I'm supposed to protect you, remember?", Chloe said, sleepily.

"We protect each other, Chloe. That's how it is", Max replied, sleepily but seriously.

"I love you, Max", Chloe whispered, already drifting back to sleep.

"I love you too, Chloe."


	19. Five Years

**A very tall girl stood on a cliff near a lighthouse, facing the sunset over Arcadia Bay. She had very long blonde hair, which hung near her waist, that tumbled down over a denim vest covered in band patches, with a blue butterfly backpatch. Tight black jeans ended in almost knee length combat boots. One arm was tattooed heavily, the other had a bad scar near the shoulder, there was a single tattoo on that wrist, the initials _M.C._ enclosed in a heart. A single, vivid, blue streak ran down the front of her hair on one side. She was deep in thought. Or maybe memories. There was no storm. No destruction. No broken skyline in the distance. It was peaceful. If someone told her that a tornado had struck here five years earlier, she wouldn't have believed it, had she not been in this very spot, seeing it happen.**

"Chloe, are you with me here?"

Chloe turned away from the sunset, to face Max, who still largely looked the same, though the hoodie had been replaced by a tan jacket she had once worn in San Francisco, in another time. Her hair was longer, her bangs longer and more blunt. But overall, she could still be the eighteen year old that stood here, five years before.

"Yes. Just thinking."

"Remember, you once told me that thinking got you nowhere...", Max teased. At twenty three, she was still the same. Chloe loved that about her. Everything about her, actually. Chloe turned to look at the sunset again, this time Max looked too, taking Chloe's hand.

"Well, clearly it doesn't. I mean, look at me. But...it's weird to see it like this again, isn't it?", Chloe asked. It had been a long time since they'd been in Arcadia Bay like this, like old times.

"It almost feels like nothing bad ever happened", Max replied, quietly.

"Yeah…", Chloe said, somberly, her long hair blew lazily in the October breeze.

"We remember though, we carry on for them. For Joyce, and for everyone else", Max said.

"Yeah, we're heroes, alright", Chloe said sarcastically, sadly.

"Maybe not the 'everyday heroes' we could have been, but you're still my hero, for whatever it's worth."

"And you're still mine."

"Always."

They embraced and kissed, it would have made a beautiful photo, if the photographer wasn't busy.

" _ **HEY**_ , rock goddess, photo groupie, we're going to get dinner, you coming or not?", Victoria called up to them, from further down the trail. She held Kate's hand.

Max and Chloe looked at each other and then laughed. Some things never change. They turned to join them.

* * *

This was actually the first year, in the last five of the pact they made that night in the courtyard of Arcadia Bay hospital, that they met up in Arcadia Bay. Chloe had played a few shows here, and visited David every so often, but mostly they avoided it. After five years, they thought it was the right time to come back and assess everything.

The Two Whales diner had been rebuilt in honor of Joyce, at David's insistence, and all she contributed to it and Arcadia Bay as a whole. Which people came to realize had really been a lot, every citizen, cop and official in Arcadia was seen at the diner over the years, it was a landmark in a small town.

And her husband's efforts after the storm which arguably saved the town, first his stepping up on the recovery efforts and then his help destroying the Prescotts for good. Sean Prescott had been found a year later, living in Los Angeles under a fake name, by this time David had already become a cop, and had quickly risen to detective. After evading everything else, he was caught on tax evasion, which David had almost single handedly figured out. Prescott was now serving several life sentences, for everything from extortion to murder, on top of what he was mixed up in with Mark Jefferson.

And then there was her daughter, who absolutely nobody who expected to amount to anything, the girl they whispered about and avoided, were actually afraid of, had poured almost every dime she made for several years into the town. It wasn't much, but it was the effort that counted to the people of Arcadia, especially since it was becoming the small, close-knit fishing town it had been before the Prescotts took over again, and after a few years of struggling, the town was beginning to thrive again, between the fishing industry and it's reputation for being indestructible, after it weathered that storm.

The diner wasn't quite the same, but they still used Joyce's recipes, and the fishing wall of fame was replaced with a plaque dedicated to her.

They sat in the booth where Max had proved she may have once been able to manipulate time, years ago.

"So, what do you guys think, did Arcadia make it through alright?", Kate asked.

"Thanks to our rock star and her father here, I think it did", Victoria chimed in.

Max had no comment, she found that over time, the guilt never really went away, all those lives lost, all that destruction, even if the town was shaping up to be in better shape now than it had been before.

"You know, Chase, I do have a fucking name", Chloe retorted.

"You know, I do have a first name", Victoria retorted right back.

"I like "Chase" better, sounds hella cooler, you should legally have your names switched", Chloe said, her grin was still the same.

"You guys never change", said Kate, obviously happy everyone was together again.

"Well, except Chloe is more blonde than I am", Victoria always tried to have the last word.

"Except mine is, except for this...", she held up the blue portion, "...real."

"I'M A NATURAL BLONDE!", Victoria was suddenly defensive.

"Guys, come on", Max laughed, "Chloe, are you really, really going to start getting in girly fights about your hair?"

"...she started it", Chloe said, before sipping her coffee.

"Why are we friends again?", Victoria asked, jokingly.

"You know you love me, Chase", Chloe replied.

"Well, it would be dull without you, that's for sure", Victoria admitted.

"If you two are done, Chloe and I have a...business proposition for you, Victoria", Max said, more seriously.

"...what? I'm going to be an accountant, what could you need with that?"

"Well...", Chloe started, "The Price is being swarmed by major labels, aaaaand, we're going to need a manager...should we sign."

"...and, why would I ever do that?", Victoria asked, though there was genuine curiosity in her voice.

"Look, i'm going to level with you here, Chase, I don't want some suit from a label telling us what we can and can't do. We can make up a contract to bring our own manager on board, and you know how to manage and invest money. I don't. Max doesn't. The band doesn't. We need someone who will basically let us do whatever the hell we want, can lie to the label, and can manage our finances", Chloe said.

Chloe's band had actually gone places. Their single "Arcadian Heart" had been a minor hit last year, with publicity drawn the years prior by Chloe's efforts to donate proceeds from album and merchandise sales to Arcadia Bay victims, they were now well known and being courted by major labels. Max was the unofficial fifth member, though she still took the name Max Price, which she would carry well into her future endeavors. She was their photographer, and artist. She traveled with Chloe everywhere. Any photos of shows, album art, which they were now two albums and three EP's in, tour posters...she was in charge of it all. It wasn't a huge amount of money to live off of, but Max couldn't be happier, or prouder of Chloe, who had in fact, stayed clean.

"Wait ...what about lying to the label-", Max started.

"ARTISTIC LICENSE, MAX. That's why we need you, Chase", Chloe finished.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, Victoria", Kate said.

"...I don't know, i'll think about it", Victoria said, though Chloe was pretty sure she was going to agree, eventually.

With that the conversation shifted back to Arcadia Bay, something they usually avoided discussing, but, they were here now.

"So did we ever really find out who else made it out? Kate you went back to Blackwell...", Max finally asked.

Max never did return to Blackwell Academy, the photography class wasn't re-added in her high school-aged years. Victoria didn't return either, instead choosing to follow in her father's footsteps and go into accounting. Kate did return, but just to finish her scholarship and graduate.

"Well, aside from us, Alyssa actually did make it. She was in the ICU when we were at the hospital, so Victoria was right. Brooke made it too, but she didn't come back. You guys know Wells and Samuel went right back to Blackwell, they're still there. And that guy with the long hair and tattoos that used to hang out here…", Kate started.

"Fucking...Frank?", Chloe asked, choking on her coffee.

"...yeah him, a lot of people said they saw him around, but he left right after the storm, so he might be around somewhere...live, anyway."

Max had filled Chloe in on the conversation she had with Frank in this very diner in another timeline a long time ago.

"...well, good for him", Chloe said, seriously.

"Other than that, I don't know. I guess more could have made it and never came back. I've heard rumors Dana, Trevor and Daniel made it too, but I don't know. Probably just rumors", Kate said.

"Probably", Max sighed. In the age of social media, it was nearly impossible they were anything more than rumors.

"Max...why do you always seem to take this...so personally, I mean, when it does come up?", Kate finally asked her.

She looked at Chloe, who was twirling her hair around a finger, a habit she had picked up in the last few years. Chloe was looking back, but really had nothing. She shrugged, very subtly.

"...I don't know, Kate. Maybe there was something I could have done, a long time ago. Saved people, maybe", was all Max really had.

She had thought about trying to tell someone else, over the years. But she never did. It always seemed too insane. And like she told Chloe earlier, it almost felt like it never even happened at all. Even being here, in the epicenter of it all, it felt surreal. But their scars and losses were real. And they were crosses they would carry forever.

"I'm sure there are things we all could have done, Max", said Kate reassuringly, in a way she was right, but she would also never know how wrong she was.

And Max decided that was alright. It was her decision, she had made it. And there was no going back. Were they running from the past with the way they were living? Possibly. But there was nothing in this world, or any other, she would trade Chloe for.

Max was about to say something, when a girl came up to their table, she must have been about fifteen, she looked a lot like Chloe had at nineteen.

"Are...are you...Chloe Price?", she asked, nervously.

They all looked at Chloe, who had been lost in thought about the past.

"Yeah, I am", Chloe said, brushing the hair out of her face and behind an ear.

"Oh my God, Chloe...er...Miss Price...uh…", the girl stammered.

"Chloe, please."

"Chloe...I...love you...I mean...you're like my favorite singer and you're from here...and... _Arcadian Heart_ and _Butterfly_ got me through some really, really hard times...I...could you...maybe sign something, for me?"

"Whatcha got?", Chloe asked.

"I...uh...well, really...nothing. No pen or anything either, I uh, just came in and saw you...fuck."

Chloe laughed, gently. She took one of her bracelets off.

"Here", she said, handing it to the girl.

"I...seriously?"

"It's yours."

"I...fucking awesome...thank you...so much", the girl said.

"Anytime, kid", Chloe said, assuringly.

 _Kid_ , Max thought, _that was you, not so long ago_.

The girl and Chloe exchanged some more words before the girl left, happily.

This happened sometimes. Chloe wasn't really famous or anything. She just played in a punk rock band that was starting to grow past that and break out. But she was known. And every once in awhile, a kid that looked like Chloe had as a teenager would recognize her and the scene would be much the same as this one.

Which always led to Max contemplating;

 _I wonder how many kids in the position she was in five years ago, and even before that, she has saved. Given hope back to. Is what she needed herself in those years, to._

Max wondered this often. She didn't know if Chloe ever thought about that or not. She thought Chloe probably did, and that was part of her drive, how she'd taken a Seattle garage band where she had with about a month of experience, total.

"You're something special, Chloe, you really, really are", said Max, kissing Chloe's cheek.

"'Special', is one word...", Victoria started.

"Blow me, Future Manager Chase", said Chloe.

"You guys literally never fucking change", said Max, laughing.

* * *

That night, Max and Chloe sat in Chloe's old room. Max looking at cameras on her laptop, Chloe just laying on her old bed looking at the room. It looked much the same as it had before, David had redone the house, but had pretty much left this room alone, aside from fixing the windows. It was much less of a mess, but the walls remained the same. Chloe's battered flag, now faded to almost white, still clung to the curtain rod over the window.

"Hah", Chloe made some kind of laughing sound.

"What?", Max asked, turning from the desk.

"You lost your virginity in this room. To me."

"...And?"

"...nothing, I just remembered, that's all."

"Twenty four, and you're still a dork."

"And you're still a hipster, but it's alright, I love you."

"I love you too, Chloe. …So, do you think Victoria will really agree to this?"

"Well, I called her and Kate getting together three years before it actually happened, didn't I?"

Victoria and Kate had finally gotten together officially, as Chloe had predicted, when they were both out of high school and, as Chloe claimed was intentional, attended the same college, they never knew how their parents took it, but Victoria seemed on good terms with her family, and Kate visited her sisters and father regularly, she'd never been close with her mother to begin with. They lived together, in Portland.

"...yeah, but this is like...important career stuff, Chloe."

"I know. That's why I went to her. She'll accept. I'll get the call in a couple days."

"And you know this, how?"

"Because...the tentative contract I wrote up gives her half of our money for the first year."

"...WHAT?"

"It'll be fine, Max. We need something, we go to her. She's rich anyway. And the only way to convince a rich person is with...well, hella cash."

Max shook her head, but she knew Chloe was right.

"Hey...", Chloe said, sitting up, "...we gotta be back in Seattle tomorrow, I want to do something fun while we're here, for old time's sake."

"No junkyard. No guns. No train tracks. No-"

"No, Max. I'm over that shit. There is something else, though."

"... _in Arcadia Bay_?"

"Come on, Super Max", Chloe said, already heading for the door.

Max sighed, but it was a loving sigh. She followed Chloe down the stairs and out to the driveway where a rough, primer grey 1969 Mustang Fastback sat parked, where Chloe's truck used to sit.

"I still can't believe you bought this thing."

" _Really_ , you can't?", Chloe teased.

Max sighed again, "Where are we going, anyway?"

"Just get in the fuckin' car, Max", Chloe said, lovingly.

* * *

Ten minutes later and they were in the parking lot of Blackwell Academy. A rebuilt, slightly more modern Blackwell Academy. Max hadn't quite figured out where Chloe was going, until they actually got there. She knew now what Chloe was planning.

"Chloe, no, i'm not-", Max started.

"Well, I am, and look…", she said, ripping the keys out of the ignition and shoving them in a pocket, "...the keys... _vanished_ ", she said with mock exaggerated fear.

"Chloe, come on, really?", Max asked, but she was laughing.

"Yep, and…look what else vanished."

"...what?", Max started, but Chloe was already out of the car, she slid across the hood, for no reason other than because she could, and took off towards the school, blonde hair trailing behind her.

"Goddammit, Chloe", Max said, but she was now chasing after her, laughing.

They ran through the dark campus, Chloe intentionally weaving around trees and tables, laughing. Max found it hadn't changed, all that much. It brought back some guilt and bad memories, but overall, it was alright. Max knew where Chloe was leading her, but she couldn't match Chloe's speed, she wasn't sure if she was getting older or if Chloe had just had too many years of perfecting escape measures.

"You know, they really should change the locks, so people like _me_ can't get in here", Chloe mused, when Max caught up.

"I can't believe they didn't five years ago...and that you still have the key", Max said.

"Maybe Wells still drinks", Chloe added, passively.

They entered the building, quietly.

"So...boys...or girls?", Chloe whispered.

"I think _you_ know the answer", Max whispered back.

Chloe smirked, and they walked through the girl's locker room to Blackwell's pool.

"Everything...still looks the same", Chloe said.

"We don't", said Max, almost somberly.

"You do, aaand…", Chloe bunched her hair up in her hand and held it to the back of her head, "...so do I."

"You know, i've never asked you what the deal with your hair is…", Max started.

"Hmmm…", Chloe thought aloud, she had already let it back down and was stripping, "...get in the pool and i'll tell you."

Chloe was already in by the time Max undressed and joined her.

"So?", Max asked.

Chloe swam over to Max and embraced her, she whispered in Max's ear, dramatically.

"Would you…believe…that…"

"Chloe, come on, just tell me."

"...that…that…"

"Chloe...", Max giggled.

"...i'm just too lazy to cut it?"

"No, I wouldn't, you dork."

"Welp, that's it."

"It's not, and you know it."

"Maybe i'll tell you someday, when you're older."

"We _are_ older."

" _Shh_ , Max."

Max thought perhaps her thought years ago was right, and it was symbolic of a new lease on life. And she also thought back to Joyce's memorial, where Chloe had stripped it back to blonde, with one blue streak for herself, though it had been much shorter. In that moment she realized it was at least partially for Joyce, the blonde anyway, the blue streak was all Chloe. Chloe's flowing hair reminded Max of a younger, more innocent Chloe. And she loved it for that reason. And she thought maybe it reminded Chloe of that time too. When they'd both been innocent.

They floated lazily in the pool, Chloe occasionally trying to start a splash fight, almost exactly as it had been before.

"So, being here again, it feels kinda…", Max trailed off on that thought.

"Like destiny?", Chloe asked.

"Yes."

She grabbed Chloe and kissed her deeply, which she had desperately wanted to do the first time they had done this, five years ago. If this was their future, Max could live with the nightmares, with the guilt. As long as she was with Chloe, it made all the bad worth it.

Chloe, Chloe was priceless.


	20. Heroes

**Author's note 1:** This "epilogue" deals with some extremely touchy subjects. It also isn't very fluffy, though, all's well that ends well. If you want their story to end with them several years later, lazing around in Blackwell's pool, don't read. If you want a glimpse of how I feel their lives would play out in the real world, after everything, read on, it's your choice, and either way, it's the right one. If you choose to leave it at 19, which is hella cool, read the note at the bottom still.

* * *

 **So what happened to the punk and the photographer, the pirates lost in time? A story like theirs...it goes places. It spreads. And when you are bringing the ability bend the fabric of reality into it, it** _ **really**_ **goes places. I wish I could say that it was a consistently happy story. But that isn't how life works. Which they know better than anyone else does. Happily ever afters are something that only exist in fairy tales. The thing about fairy tales, though, is that they always seem to be rooted in reality, or at least are there to teach a lesson or moral about reality. And this story is no different.**

 **So, what happened?**

 **Well, following the get-together in Arcadia five years after the storm, Chloe's career took off. Her voice, as Max had said, was enough to carry the fact that she was only rudimentarily skilled at the guitar. And soon after, Max's own career took off. Her work capturing live performances on polaroid, in that day and age, it gained her a reputation quickly. Soon Chloe's band was selling out ballrooms and decent sized venues across the country. Max and Chloe celebrated with an engagement party in New York, then Paris.**

 **Life was a party, there was no weight to anything. They could forget everything horrible that had happened. There was Chloe and her band and a bus and Max and her camera. That was it. It was simple, it was clean, it was what they had always wanted. Traveling. Doing what they wanted, having nothing but each other. And Max hoped it could stay like this forever. Victoria had actually agreed to manage Chloe, and was doing a very good job with it.**

 **Max was getting offers from every which way, but she held out, choosing to stay on tour with Chloe, making her money selling photos to magazines and promoters. Eventually, an offer from a top magazine came up, and she couldn't not take it. They did their best to stay with each other, Max would go out into the field when Chloe was not touring so they could go together, and vice versa, though they couldn't always be together anymore. This worked for a year or two, and while they missed each other horribly when apart, they were on the phone for hours every night, and when they were together, it was the same party it had been before.**

 **These were the good years.**

 **That couldn't be sustained forever. A year later, Max had to be away more and more often. The nightmares never really went away. The bad memories never really faded, though there were thousands of good ones on top of them now. And it hit Chloe hard, when Max wasn't there when she woke up sweating and cursing in the middle of the night. It hit Max just as hard, wherever she was in the world, neither of them slept very much, but Max didn't have the history that Chloe did.**

 **Eventually, Chloe relapsed. It was bound to happen. It always happens. And now she was in a world surrounded by temptation, alone. The smoking started again. The drinking started again. Her aggressive stage behaviour became inseparable from her actual behaviour, as bottle after bottle would vanish from hotel bars and green rooms. Chloe actually got to the point where she stopped calling Max, instead blacking out every other night or being too messed up to dial the phone. Victoria didn't call Max right away, knowing what this would do to her, instead giving her excuse after excuse for why Chloe was so quiet, she tried to deal with it herself, she knew Max didn't buy it, but Max was stuck where she was for the moment. And it spiraled even further out of control. Chloe was impossible to reach. Max may have been able to, if they had caught this earlier. The thing was, Chloe hid it well. To start with, anyway.**

 **She eventually had to bite the bullet and make the call, breaking Max away from a three month stay in Paris, to make sure Chloe was alright. Max had missed her, desperately. What she found when she got back, was a nightmare. Chloe's hair, which had been growing almost unbroken for years, was still blonde with it's blue streak, but it was faded, had become matted and partially dreaded. Chloe's arms had track marks and she wouldn't talk to Max, directly. Apparently, the alcohol hadn't been enough to combat the demons of the past. Max eventually stumbled upon Chloe's lyrics, that she'd been writing, and with titles like "Betraying Fate", "Joyce" and "Storm Surge", she couldn't take it anymore. Max and Victoria tried to talk Chloe into rehab, but were met with "I'm fine" and "It doesn't matter, everyone is going to leave again anyway". This went on for a month, Chloe had become even skinnier, sickly looking. She began bailing out of shows early. This couldn't go on. But it did. Eventually Max faced the ultimatum, "Come back now, or your contract is terminated". She couldn't bear to see Chloe this way anymore, this wasn't the person she loved. It wasn't Chloe Price. It couldn't be. She pleaded with Chloe to stop, but Chloe had finally broken completely. She blamed herself, more than anyone or anything else. This was a whole new load of guilt, though Kate and Victoria tried to convince her otherwise, that it wasn't her fault. Max didn't know which way was worse, that Chloe had always had this inside her, or that Chloe hadn't been able to manage at all, without her. After a fight with Chloe that almost turned violent, she left without so much as a note a few days later, returning to Europe and eventually an apartment she had bought in New York. She stayed in contact with Kate and Victoria, who were now married, but didn't talk to Chloe, or about Chloe.**

 **This went on for several years. Max went to bed alone every night, and cried herself to sleep, expecting to hear that Chloe had died for good the next morning. She stumbled through her late twenties and the early part of her thirties like this. Her photography became darker, focusing on more gothic, morbid things. She was becoming known was a troubled artist, which only boosted her career trajectory. But, this was her release, like the drugs had been to Chloe. Chloe's fifteen minutes of fame were up, but she had become something of a reclusive cult hero in the music community, for her unabashed presence, brutally honest lyrics, former charity work and** _ **that**_ **voice. Chloe had quit the band a few years ago. She had enough money, with Victoria watching it and investing. She stayed in Seattle, which she had never thought would happen.**

 **Eventually Max fell out of contact with Victoria and Kate altogether, though they kept their pact, and met up in Arcadia Bay once a year, minus Chloe. Kate once asked Max if she was ever going to talk to Chloe again, and Max just said she didn't know, and they left it at that. If the conversation ever shifted to Chloe, Max changed the subject. Victoria hadn't been in contact with Chloe either, save to manage money once or twice over the last year. The thirty something year old woman sitting across from Kate and Victoria could have easily still been eighteen, if the loneliness and insecurity hadn't aged her quicker, mostly the eyes, they were no longer the eyes of an innocent teenager, they were the eyes of a woman who had seen every facet of humanity, almost like a soldier's.**

 **When Max was thirty four she had done her best to push the past out of her mind altogether. She was now working with film, some were saying that Max Price was going to bring analogue back for good. She kept her unofficial name, over the years. Though The Price was gone, and her and Chloe's engagement never went further.**

 **Max eventually heard a cover of David Bowie's "Heroes" on the tentative soundtrack for a film she was doing test shots for. She instantly recognized that voice. She didn't want to listen, but she did. Chloe. It was the first time she had heard Chloe's voice in years. She'd heard the song a thousand times, but there was a new desperation and weight to the words.**

" _I, I will be king_

 _And you, you will be queen_

 _Though nothing, will drive them away_

 _We can beat them, just for one day_

 _We can be heroes, just for one day"_

 **Max didn't want to listen. She didn't. The tears came again, she knew exactly why Chloe picked this song as a comeback, and she knew exactly what Chloe was talking about.**

" _And you, you can be mean_

 _And I, I'll drink all the time_

 _Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact_

 _Yes we're lovers, and that is that_

… _._

 _And we kissed, as though nothing could fall_

 _And the shame, was on the other side_

 _Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever_

 _Then we could be heroes, just for one day"_

 **Max continued work on it, on the agreement she never had to hear about the music end of it, that wasn't her job. It was agreed. Max worked so much that she never had time to stop and think. It was easier this way. Chloe did the same, now working on a solo comeback after her cover of "Heroes" had been a success. Chloe was clean now. She had been for over a year, but she didn't even know how to approach Max. She wanted to. That was why she had chose that song. She had no idea, however, that it would wind up on Max's desk, or that Max would even ever hear it. The project never really amounted to anything, Chloe had lost the drive and passion she had as a nineteen year old...and there was a...problem. She now had a timeframe. She'd known about this problem for a few months, but didn't know how she could possibly tell anyone.**

 **On the night of Max's thirty fifth birthday, Max heard a knock on her apartment door, waking her up from where she'd fallen asleep, at her desk, over folders of photos and film samples. She groggily made her way to the door, she hesitated before opening it. She still expected, somewhere in her mind, for someone to call her or show up saying Chloe had died of an overdose, and even though it had been pushing seven years since she'd seen Chloe, that part of her was still the eighteen year old girl on the cliff, faced with an impossible choice.**

 **She opened the door, slowly, and was met with...Chloe Price. An older, more world-weary Chloe Price, but, despite that, the drugs, and the demons, Chloe still looked remarkably young. No older than twenty five, at the oldest. Her hair was still very, very long. It's natural strawberry blonde, but with a vibrant blue streak in the front, that was visible even though her hair was in a messy ponytail, some of it hung around her face, like it had so many years ago. She was still skinny, but not the sickly waifish she had become, when Max had last seen her. Her clothing had remained basically the same, but it was slightly more mature. Less torn up, anyway. She still wore Kate's cross. She still wore her engagement ring. Max wore hers too, but on a chain, under her shirt.**

 **They stood in the doorway, looking at each other, for a few moments. Max hadn't aged much either, her hair was pretty much the same, though Chloe saw some gray strands, she was dressed more professionally, but overall, she looked like Maxine Caulfield.**

* * *

"Chloe is...it really you? You, you?", Max had asked, tentatively, not sure she wasn't dreaming or hadn't finally lost it entirely.

"Yes….Max. It's me. It's really me. Clean, too. A year and a half, i'd show you my AA keychain, but I sold it for booze money", Chloe had not changed. At all. Seven years, and a joke about the thing that had driven them apart was the first thing she had to say.

Max had nothing to say. She had so much to say, that she couldn't formulate the words to say it. She embraced Chloe more tightly than she ever had before, crying into her shirt. Chloe just held her.

"I'm sorry, Max. I'm so, so sorry. I fucked up so, so bad", Chloe whispered, "This was never supposed to happen. We...were never supposed to lose each other...I lost myself...and lost you and I just...everything I did was for you and then the...old me came back out and...you weren't there...and...I-", now she was crying too.

" _Shhh_ ", was all Max could formulate. She just wanted to know that Chloe was alive. Was there.

Was back in her life.

"Max...I don't know...how to tell you this", Chloe started.

"...then don't tell me anything….just stay here, with me."

"I...that's what I always intended...but, Max...i'm...sick."

"...what? What do you mean?"

"I have…", the tears came back to Chloe's eyes, "I have...I have...fucking...HIV, Max."

"I...no...you can't...you...how…", Max cried.

"I don't know. There was never anyone else after you. Ever. They think I...used a dirty needle...once."

"Oh my fucking God…Chloe…"

"I'm alright. For now. But you needed to know. I guess...I really fucking blew it, it...really was all for nothing, because...i'm such a fucking idiot."

"Don't you say that, Chloe", Max choked out through her tears, "Don't you ever fucking say that. We...still had all of that time together...and you're here _now_."

"I know, and i'm not leaving...if...you still want me. But...I don't know how long I have, Max. I really...don't."

"You better never fucking leave me again, Chloe."

"Then I won't. Ever. But…eventually i'm going to...to..."

"Don't say it."

"Well...it's fucking true", Chloe choked out through a sob.

"I don't want to hear it."

"I know. Neither do I."

Max kissed her anyway, the kiss was long, a lot of lost time. It led to more, which Chloe initially protested, and then realized what Max was doing. It was Max's choice. Chloe couldn't stop her.

* * *

 **Chloe stayed with Max in New York for a few months. No longer half-sleeping alone, wondering if her soulmate was dead in an alley in Seattle, Max was revitalized, the film she was working on was the critic's darling, her cinematography and use of stills was lauded across the board. Chloe stayed clean. By the end of the New York years, neither of them really needed any more money. And so, Max said her farewell to the film world, having left her mark.**

 **Chloe had arrived in New York in a beautifully pristine blue 1969 Plymouth Road Runner, and it was in this car they spent the next year. They finally got their road trip together, like they had always wanted. Just traveling across the country, back again, and again and again, staying in cheap motels under fake names. They were making up for lost time, again. Max continued taking pictures, of anything that caught her interest on the road, but she found that most of these shots ended up being of Chloe, who had really been the reason she returned to the hobby at all, in the first place. This older Chloe was just as beautiful as her younger self had been.**

 **They eventually reconnected with Kate and Victoria, after David passed away from a heart attack. Several months before, Vanessa Caulfield had gone from cancer, in something out of Walk the Line, Ryan had gone a month later. None of them ever knew Chloe was sick. Or that Max had intentionally contracted it from Chloe.**

 **And this was how Max and Chloe wound up back in Arcadia Bay, a rebuilt Arcadia Bay, possibly more beautiful than it had been when they were kids, the Prescotts' hold over the town long, long gone. Chloe ended up buying her childhood home, and here they lived in between trips all over the world. No matter where they were, the old pact was back though, and the four women met up once or twice a year, not always in Arcadia, sometimes it was. And sometimes it was New York, sometimes it was Portland, sometimes it was Madrid, Paris, Prague, wherever Chloe and Max were, which became a joke between them.**

" **Where are Chloe and Max this week?"**

 **Chloe and Max were pirates again. They didn't have anything to tie them to one specific place, and this gave them the freedom to live as they saw fit. Chloe's inner teenage punk was at the forefront again, and Max had never been more in love with her.**

 **And despite the losses, even the recent ones, and the fact that the nightmares still plagued them, at times, life was good. It was really, truly good. And this was the time when Max and Chloe were at their happiest. The horrors of their teenage years, and of Chloe's fall and return, which Victoria referred to as "The Rise and Fall of Chloe Stardust", years and years behind them as well. Chloe and Max did what they never thought would be possible, and lived happily in their hometown. Kate and Victoria had moved back long ago. And the four of them were once again the teenagers sneaking into the courtyard of the hospital to talk about their futures, though none of them could have imagined what those futures actually brought. Life carried on this way for a few years.**

 **Then...Chloe's health started to decline rapidly. Years of abusing her body and her illness were catching up with her, and the trips got shorter. More time was spent walking the trails in Arcadia Bay, usually ending at the lighthouse. This part was fine with Max. She worried about Chloe, who had developed a bad cough and moved slower than she had in the sunshine of their youth, daily, but they'd seen the world. From Tokyo, to Amsterdam, to Cape Town, they'd seen it all. And Max had seen everything good and bad humanity had to offer, over her career and these trips. Max and Chloe remained in Arcadia.**

 **And eventually, it happened. Chloe passed in her sleep, one night. Max knew this had been coming. But Max, Max never attended the funeral. She was sick too. She knew she couldn't live without Chloe. Never again. Max, under Chloe's direction, though it had been Max's idea, had made a brompton cocktail, the only drugs either of them had ever bought again. And Max went peacefully, next to Chloe, into whatever awaited them on the other side.**

* * *

 **When they got here, I was so happy to see them. I hadn't seen them since I was there in the back, the night of Chloe's first concert.**

 **Chloe and Max are still the teenagers they were in 2013, Chloe's hair is short and blue, and she'll crack a joke about anything. Max is still the awkward teenager Chloe described her as. Beautiful in her own way. Meeting her for real, I now understand Chloe's obsession. They still go on adventures. Chloe still strums her guitar, and sings. Max is still a photographer, and the scenery here is beautiful. They talk about building another pirate fort, and I think they actually might, now that they have the time. Dorks. Joyce and William are here too, and they couldn't be prouder of Chloe. Chloe finally had the chance to say everything to both of them that she never got the chance to. Chloe cooks with Joyce every morning.**

 **So, what did we all learn from Max's choice? It's like Chloe said all those years ago, superpowers don't last forever. Superheroes aren't real. But some things, even against the universe itself, things like the two pirates, those things can be real forever.**

 **And forever is a long, long time.**

* * *

 **Author's Note 2:** It's been a hell of a ride, guys. This story started as a one shot, and grew into so much more. In a lot of ways, it was written backwards. I always had the vision of Chloe winding up a musician, and Max a professional photographer. And it ended up being ten chapters longer than I ever thought it would be. Thank everyone who followed, favorited, reviewed and made this story possible. This portion of the story is over. However, there is something else coming in the future, and this epilogue will be important for story development, so if it makes you sad, don't fret. I couldn't really leave this so bleak, now, could I? ;)


	21. Author's note and Season 2

My schedule turned out to clear up for a bit, which leaves me with time to write, in these winter months, as I am a musician and a mechanic, i'm sure some pieces of my writing style are falling in place for you, with that information.

Regarding the ending of this story, I got some messages and critiques saying it felt rushed, or was a massive change in pace.

I understand that, however, like I said in the A/N, in a lot of ways, the story was written backwards, it was also originally much shorter. After deciding to continue from the first few chapters, I wrote the last few. I've written several other stories, long and short, in other places, and I always have the beginning and the ending to work with. I understand that it wasn't the ending a lot of people expected or wanted. But it was my take on the story, my entire plan was to combine the whimsical side of LiS with the truth of reality and it was always going to be that way.

The other plan, which I never mentioned outside vague hints, was the fact that I was quietly doing drafts for a sequel story, and it required Max and co. to be reunited the way they were in the end. I'd like to thank everyone that stuck with me through this adventure, and for the kind words and the constructive critiques I received. The LiS community is one of the best i've ever been involved with, and you guys are hella amazing

So i'm happy to present a new beginning:

Two Girls Season 2: Lost Girls

s/11754324/1/Lost-Girls


End file.
